The playmaker
by archangel77
Summary: What happens when Keitaro and Rin decide they want the opposite of what they have and in a flash of light they switch lives and step into the others world? With only memories of the friends they once had, How will they live? How will they get back? Do they get back? Or do they find a new romance in a new life? I don't own Love Hina Or Shuffle! All credit to original creators
1. Chapter 1 Stepping into the light

The Playmaker:

A Wish Come True

Chapter one

Stepping into the light

The story starts with a young man named Keitaro Urashima. He's the manager of an inn in a town known as Hinata. He goes about his day just like any other person, trying to get into Tokyo University, so that he could fulfill his childhood promise to a girl. He can't remember her name, and doesn't know anything about her, but he's determined to get into the university no matter what. The main difference in his life is that he lives in a household full of women. He's the only guy living there after taking over for his grandmother who set off to travel around the world. Of course the girls rejected him at first, but as time passed they grew more comfortable with him, and some even began to develop feelings for him. The girls he lives with are; Naru Narusegawa, she's the girl that Keitaro first meets and eventually falls in love with, but it takes some time before she comes out and returns the feelings. She's a very aggressive 17 year old woman who lets her stubbornness show.

Motoko Aoyama is another tenant of the inn. She spends her days differently than a normal 15 year old. She likes practicing kendo, as she is next in line to take over the family dojo. She developed some feelings for Keitaro as well, but is always trying to deny them.

Kaolla Su is the most energetic of the tenants. She's always spending her time coming up with new crazy toys that she designs. Keitaro unfortunately is the guinea pig of most of her developments. She's a 14 year old transfer student that nobody really knows much about. She gets along with everybody though, but they have a hard time keeping up with her.

Shinobu Maehara is the exact opposite. She's the quiet one around the house; she eventually becomes more comfortable around the inn and talks a lot more. Even only being 13 years old, she takes on the jobs of cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other household chores. She ends up falling in love with Keitaro too, and generally gets light headed when thoughts about Keitaro and the other girls come up.

Mitsune Konno is the carefree tenant of the house. She's 19 years old, greedy, and is often wandering around the house drunk. She enjoys teasing Keitaro whenever giving the chance, the two act a lot like brother and sister.

Mutsumi Otohime is a loving 20 year old girl who believes that she is the girl that Keitaro made the promise to so long ago. She's very much an airhead, who often forgets things. She and Naru look alike, but they have their differences. She's the only girl who doesn't live at the inn, but even so it doesn't stop her from running into Keitaro from time to time.

With all these girls surrounding him, Keitaro has trouble keeping his head on straight! Sometimes things don't go his way, and put him in the worst possible situations at times. Such was the case where this story begins...

"Keitaroooo!" Naru yelled. Naru was running after Keitaro down the hallways of the inn.

"Naru come on! We just finished!" He was whimpering back to her as he kept running. He turned a corner, and started running through the living room.

"You'll never get any better if you only last a few hours!"

"I'm only one man! What more do you want from me?" He dashed through the living room and into the kitchen where Shinobu was cooking dinner. He sped by her yelling out "Hi! Smells great!" as he ran outside to the hot springs. He looked behind him and slowed down when he saw Naru was no longer on his tail. He sighed and took a minute to catch his breath. He then got a very bad chill up his spine when he heard her yell.

"Keitarooooooooooo!" She jumped from the second floor and landed on his back, pinning him to the ground.

"How- did- you-" Keitaro gasped between each word as she showed no effort to get off.

"You're not getting away. Come on, back to my room," She got off of him, and started dragging him by his collar.

"But we always study! Can't we just sit in the hot springs? We already go into Tokyo U right? Can't we just relax and watch TV or something?" Naru let up on her grip on him.

"Even though we're accepted doesn't mean we can stop our study habits, it should be even more reason to study if you ask me." Her voice wasn't as aggressive as it was before. Keitaro picked himself up and stood next to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"I understand all that but can't we just stop studying for a few minutes and go do something together?" Naru turned and looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, we could go on the roof and watch the sunset, or we could watch TV. on the couch or we could-" Naru cut him off.

"Study so we don't get kicked out of the University!" Keitaro sighed as he walked back into the inn. Naru blushed and looked at the ground as he walked inside. Even though they we technically a couple, she still had a hard time getting used to it. She continued spacing out until she heard Keitaro call her name.

"Naru! Shinobu says dinner is ready, let's eat then we can continue studying, how does that sound?" Naru smiled at him and lightly ran back inside. She brushed Keitaro when she ran past him, almost knocking him over. She looked back at him and stuck out her tongue, then made her way to the dining room and took a seat at the table. Everybody else was starting to show up as well, they began taking their seats too. Keitaro took his seat across from Naru. Shinobu came into the kitchen still in her apron, but set down multiple plates of food. There was grilled salmon, rice, a bowl of veggies, and another bowl of chopped fruit. Each person got a plate that had a salmon on it, and small bowls were passed around for the rice, fruits, and veggies.

"Wow Shinobu this smells great!" Mitsune exclaimed.

"My heart is pounding so hard I think it's going to come out of my chest, can we please eat now? I'm dying!" Kaolla shouted as she began to drool over her plate.

"Thank you for the meal," Motoko said bowing her head. Shinobu blushed and waved her hands frantically.

"No no it's nothing really," She said still blushing.

"Really Shinobu, it's really nice of you to do this every day," Keitaro told her. She blushed even more and started to get light headed. She almost fell over, but Tama-Chan was there to snap her out of it. (Tama-Chan is the "pet" of the house. He's a flying turtle.) She patted him on his shell, and then joined everybody else at the table.

"Alright, let's dig in!" Keitaro said grabbing his silverware. Everybody did the same, and began chowing down. They ate quietly for a while, but then Mitsune broke the silence.

"So since you and Naru are dating now does that mean you two will be sharing a room?" She asked with a devious smile on her face. Naru and Keitaro's faces got red.

"O- Of course not!" Naru stuttered. Mitsune paid no attention to her and stared at Keitaro.

"Well Keitaro?"

"Well- I mean, er," He laughed awkwardly, and then looked at Naru. She was still blushing, but she then flared up with anger.

"Well what Keitaro?" Naru said grinding her teeth.

"Hey Shinobu are you going to eat that, cause you're doing it wrong!" Kaolla yelled poking at Shinobu's face, which was planted in her food.

"Shinobu!" Motoko yelled. She raced to her side and pulled her back, her face was bright ride.

"Senpai and Naru sleeping in the same room? Ha Ha Ha Ha..." She whispered. She sounded delirious.

"Keitaro!" Naru yelled grabbing his attention.

"Well I mean it's not like I haven't thought about it," Naru's fist clenched the table cloth. "I mean of course it's too early, and I mean, I don't want to sleep with you, I mean I do, but not like that, oh dear," He backed his chair away from the table as Naru leaped from her seat and came at him in a rage. He took off running again, this time heading up the stairs and towards his room.

"Just what goes on in that pervy head of yours! Never mind I don't want to know! And who do you think you are to assume that I even would be okay with that! Keitaro!" She continued to chase him until she ran into the door to his room. She tried to slide it open but it was locked.

"You know you can't hide there!" She continued going up the stairs and into her room, where she leapt down the hole that led from her room to his. She looked around but he was nowhere to be found. She put her hands on her hips and sighed. She looked around his room, and then saw the picture of them that was taken on their trip. She smiled as she picked it up.

Meanwhile, Keitaro placed his hands on his legs as he gasped for breath.

"Thanks for letting me hide here Haruka," He said still gasping. He was struck in the back with a great force which caused him to fall to his knees.

"That's Haruka-san. And no problem, just don't make this a habit, that girl with destroy a fragile place like this." Keitaro stood back to his feet and laughed a little.

"Hey, do you mind if I lay down for just a second here to catch my breath?"

"Sure, but only for a few minutes, I've got work to do."

"Thanks." He made his way to her room, and laid down on her bed. Haruka is Keitaro's aunt, even though she doesn't like being called that. She runs the tea shop that's right next to the inn and often helps out at the inn, making sure everybody stays in check.

Keitaro laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"_I wonder if every guy has it this rough? I mean living in a house full of girls has to be every man's dream right? I just wish that I could be around girls who weren't always trying to cause me physical pain, that maybe I could be around girls that adore me... yeah..._" His thoughts trailed off as he closed his eyes.

His eyes shot open, when a great white flash engulfed him. He looked around but all he saw was darkness. Off in the distance though there was a glowing white circle. He began making his way towards it when he stopped in his tracks. A voice called out to him, it was a low voice but not deep set.

"Keitaro Urashima, your wish, fulfilled..." He looked around but there was no one. But now the ground lit up slightly, revealing yellow colored arrows that pointed towards the glowing circle. Step by step he got closer, and as he got closer he could see what looked like another person walking towards the circle. He was sure it must be a mirror of some kind as the shadow of a person got closer and closer...


	2. Chapter 2 A step out of the Darkness

Chapter two

A step out of the Darkness

The other half of the story begins with a young man named Rin Tsuchimi strange to us is normal for him. He lives in a world where the worlds of the Gods and Demons have come into the world of Humans. They don't look like what you expect a God or Demon to look like, they look like humans but have different ears, the God's being small and pointed up like an elf, and the Demons being long, skinny, and pointing outwards. The three races live together in peace, and even though it's still hard for some parts of the world to believe, they are here to stay. Rin lives in a town where the three races socialize in peace and in comfort. They go to the same school, they share love, and they go out with each other. They're all friends. However, there is one thing about Rin that separates him from the other boys. He has multiple lovely girls that are in love with him.

Lisianthus, or better known as Sia, is daughter to the King of the Gods. She and Rin had an encounter 8 years ago in the human world, and ever since then she has been in love with him. Now she and her dad live next door to Rin, and she is still determined to steal Rin's heart for her own.

Nerine, is the daughter to the King of the Demons. She and Rin also had an encounter 8 years ago, and since then she has also been in love with him. She and her father are neighbors on the opposite side of Sia and her dad, and she is also determined to claim Rin's heart.

Kaede Fuyou had lived with Rin for years, always cooking for him, cleaning, and doing his laundry. Their parents died in a car accident, and ever since they had lived together. She is beautiful, quiet, and intelligent. She too is in love with Rin, and always will be.

Asa Shigure is the lucky girl who Rin ended up with. She's tomboyish, always greeting Rin with a slap on the back, even though they're together. She can dress like a lady when she wants but always has a hard time figuring out what to wear. She is half demon half human, her demon half from her mom and human from her dad. Even though Rin chose her to be his girlfriend, she still has a lot of competition from the other girls who are still persistent about getting Rin's heart.

Primula is an artificial life form created by experiments of the Gods and Demons. She at first had difficulty expressing her emotions, but eventually learns how. She is also quiet and often carries around a stuffed cat that was a gift from Rin. She looks up to Rin, and starts having feelings for him but she never comes out and says it.

Such a life surrounded by beautiful women sounds nice right? For Rin, it's more of a hassle than anything. He can't break their hearts by telling them to stop loving him, but he can't be with all of them. Even though he has said that he is in love with Asa, the other girls act like nothing has changed and continue being flirty with him. All of the girls get along really well for being in love with the same guy, Asa tries to hold them off when they get too carried away, but to no avail. There are some days where even Rin gets tired from everything and just wants to relax, today is such a day...

"Gooooood morning Rin!" Asa shouted as she slapped Rin on the back. She laughed as he grunted in pain. Rin's eyes shot open when he heard her voice, and more so when he felt the slap. He rolled over and looked at her.

"Geesh you'd think since we're dating you'd let up a little," He laughed. She stuck out her tongue at him, and then threw her arms around his shoulder. He blushed a little at first but then he just smiled at her. He then took a moment to realize that he was still in bed.

"Hey what are you doing here so early anyways?" He asked.

"Just making sure you're out of bed sleepy head! And maybe I just wanted to come see you," She winked at him. He laughed and then sat up.

"Well I should get ready for school, I'm sure Sia, Nerine, Kaede and Primula will be here soon." He got up and walked over to his dresser when Asa came up behind him and threw her arms around his waist.

"You could, but you know today is Saturday right?" She whispered to him. Come to think of it, Asa wasn't in her school uniform, she was in a regular T-shirt and a miniskirt.

"So you did come here just to see me didn't you?" He laughed as he put his hands on hers. She let go of him and ran to his door.

"Guess you'll never know! If you decide you want to see me, you know where I'll be!" She laughed as she closed the door behind her as she ran from his house. Rin reached his hand out after her, but she was already gone. He smiled to himself and then decided since he was already up he might as well take a shower and go try and find Asa. He showered quickly and walked back to his room with only a towel around his waist. He went to grab clothes when his door burst open.

"Riiiiiiiiiin!" The voice yelled. Rin blushed as he met eyes with Sia. He tightened the towel around him and ran at her. Sia blushed and quickly turned around. Rin was right behind her pushing her out.

"Can't you knock?!" He yelled embarrassed.

"But Rin if we're to be together we need to be comfortable with each other's bodies!" Sia cried as he shut the door once she was out.

"I'll be out in a second, don't go anywhere!" Rin yelled through the door. A few minutes passed before Rin opened the door and stepped outside. Sure enough, Sia, Nerine, Primula, and Kaede were all waiting outside.

"You guys know it's Saturday right?" He laughed.

"Yes, that's why we're here!" Sia shouted playfully. Nerine approached him blushing.

"We thought it would be fun if maybe all of us went out and spent the day together," Her voice was quiet as she spoke.

"Well, sure, that'd be fun, but I kind of already made plans with Asa..." He was cut off by Sia.

"She can come too as long as you guys don't make out in front of us okay?" Nerine and Kaede started to turn red.

"What?!" They yelled. Sia laughed as Rin tried to calm them down.

"It's not like that, honestly!" Rin tried to defend himself but nobody believed him.

"Don't let him lie to you," Asa said, popping up behind Rin and throwing her arms around his neck. The girls were jealous that she was touching him.

"Hey no fair! I want to hold Rin!" Sia yelled.

"I want to hold his hand!" Narine shouted as well.

"A kiss would be nice..." Kaede whispered.

"Girls hey! Eh, forget it, they're a lost cause. See whatcha did?" Rin said to Asa. Asa was laughing at the situation.

"Oh come on, I want to have a little fun today seeing as how the fun I had planned got canceled," She said winking at Rin. He blushed, and then she kissed his cheek. The girls were too busy daydreaming to notice, luckily for Rin. He looked and sighed when he saw they didn't notice. He then looked at Asa who had an evil grin on her face. She was pointing towards Primula.

"I saw that," Primula said. The other girls snapped out of their daydream when they heard her speak.

"Saw what?" Sia asked.

"What'd you see Rimu?" Kaede asked as well.

"A kiss." Primula replied, pointing at Rin. They all turned their attention towards Rin, and then began to flock around him.

"Rin! I thought we said no making out!" Sia yelled.

"Rin do you think I could have one?" Narine shouted. Rin tried to ignore them as he turned to Asa who was now running away.

"Catch you later!" She said waving goodbye and laughing.

"Asa wait! Don't leave me like this! Asa!" Rin yelled. But she was gone, and now the girls had him trapped in a circle. He sighed as started to again focus on what they were saying.

"Well?" Sia asked.

"Will you?" Narine asked.

"Please?" Kaede asked. Not knowing what they were talking about, and not wanting to be rude, he replied,

"Sure?" All the girls rejoiced as Narine and Sia took Rin by his hands and began to drag him off down the street.

"Oh no," He whispered to himself as he ran with them down the street. They disappeared over the hilly road, and made their way towards the center of town where all the stores were at. They stopped running in front of a clothes store, Rin looked around, and then asked,

"What're we doing here?"

"What do you mean? You agreed to take us lingerie shopping!" Sia shouted. They drug him by the wrists into the shop as he let out a yell that was filled with lost hope. Rin spent his day shopping with the girls at multiple stores, trying his best to turn his head when they came running at him in bikinis and sexy underwear. Even though he tried sometimes they would just sneak up on him and jump on him, forcing him to look at them in hardly any clothes. Again, anybody but Rin would be in heaven, but he tried so hard to not look.

After his long day with the girls, he made his way back to his place, where inside there was a box on his bed that had a tag on it.

"To: Rin. From: Asa." There was a heart next to her name. He opened it up and inside was a picture of them from their date at the theme park. He smiled and put the picture on top of his dresser. He then laid down and looked up at the ceiling.

"_I'm sure all guys dream of being surrounded by beautiful women who would do anything for them, but it can get exhausting. I really like all of them, but with them still having feeling for me I can't spend a lot of time with Asa without them getting jealous. I just wish that I could be around girls who I could be great friends with and still have time for a girlfriend. I just want to be someplace where I can spend time alone, or with Asa, or anybody, and where people would look up to me... yeah..._" He closed his eyes for what only seemed like a second when a blinding white flash engulfed him. He struggled to see at first when he opened his eyes, but even when they were open all he could see was darkness. Off in the distance he could see a glowing white circle, not knowing what to do he began moving towards it when he heard a voice call to him.

"Rin Tsuchimi, your wish, fulfilled..." Rin looked around but saw no one. But there were yellow arrows that lit up on a path that led to the glowing circle. He began walking down path, and with every step an image of another man on the other side got closer and closer. He was unsure what was going on, but his feet kept taking him towards this circle. The light grew stronger as he approached, and once he set foot inside, everything was lit up, revealing a man who looked about his age standing across from him. They looked at each other but they looked away when they heard a voice.

"Welcome," The voice said. The looked down the third path that was leading from the circle and at the end was a man sitting it a chair. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes that glowed in the dark. His heart pounding, and his mind wandering, he didn't know what to do. The man then stood up and began walking towards him.

"To my world," The man laughed almost evilly...

This is just the beginning of the crossover, introducing both worlds. More chapters will be posted, let me know what you guys think as the story goes along! Ideas are always helpful, but if you're going to say how much something sucks do it in a way that can help me, cuz saying it sucks doesn't do me much good if you don't offer a way to fix it. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3 The Playmaker

Chapter three

The Playmaker

Rin and Keitaro slowly started walking backwards as the man came close to them.

"Relax," He said smiling.

"Who are you?" Rin asked, still nervous.

"Well I suppose we should get introductions out of the way." The man stopped walking and looked over towards Keitaro. "Keitaro Urashima, this is Rin Tsuchimi. Rin Tsuchimi, Keitaro Urashima." He pointed towards the boys as he introduced them. They looked at each other and then back at the man.

"And who are you?" Keitaro asked him. The man smiled and took a few steps back.

"I'm known as The Playmaker," He started to laugh that evil laugh again.

"What do you want with us?" Rin asked. The man didn't answer right away, instead he turned around and walked back to his chair. Once he was seated he answered his question.

"It's not me who wants either of you." His blue eyes were intimidating from a distance. Rin was about to say something, but right as he went to speak The Playmaker spoke again. "You two are here because you have what the other wants. Keitaro wishes to be surrounded by girls who show him affection instead of causing him pain. And you Rin, you want to be able to sit down and relax without having girls in your face every second of the day." Rin and Keitaro looked at each other again, and then back at The Playmaker.

"I still don't understand," Rin mumbled. The Playmaker laughed and then snapped his fingers with his right hand. As he snapped, images of both Keitaro's and Rin's lives started surrounding them. They two watched as events from the past surrounded them in perfect detail.

"How is this even possible?" Keitaro asked.

"It's simple to me really. You see I'm not from either of your worlds. In fact, your worlds are part of mine. I oversee everything that happens in every world. If time and space had a body, you're looking at it." The Playmaker replied. Keitaro walked towards him, and Rin did as well. As they walked images of the people they cared about most started appearing. Asa on the right side, Naru on the left. They stopped in front of where The Playmaker was sitting. Keitaro approached him.

"Are you real?" Keitaro asked reaching out his hand. His hand went right through The Playmaker's head.

"The person in front of you is nothing more than a hologram. Overseeing all of the worlds is a tough job; my real body can't be everywhere at once." He stood up and walked through Keitaro. "But wherever there is time and space, I'll be there. Always watching." Keitaro backed away from The Playmaker and turned to Rin and spoke to him.

"So I guess this is real. I know he already told you, but my name is Keitaro Urashima," He stuck out his hand to Rin. Rin smiled and shook it.

"I'm Rin Tsuchimi." After the handshake, Rin turned towards The Playmaker.

"So you're able to replay all these events that surround us because you were there?" He asked.

"Exactly." Keitaro jumped into the conversation

"And what do you mean our worlds are part of yours? Aren't we both from the same world?"

"No. You two are from two very different worlds."

"But we both live on Earth right?" Keitaro turned to Rin. "Right?" Rin nodded his head.

"You see, well I'm not sure how to put this. Even though you're from the same planet, inside the same galaxy, inside of the same universe, the universe is inside of what I like to call, a dimension. Inside a single dimension is an entire universe, each with its own way of life. Some are very similar, much like yours, and some are very different. But even though your dimensions are very similar, they are different in so many ways, and that is what makes a dimension so much bigger."

Keitaro struggled to understand, as did Rin.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Keitaro said.

"I'm not following either," Rin added. The Playmaker laughed.

"I've been around ever since time and space were created. I'm billions of years old, and I've seen everything there is to see. There are hundreds of thousands of 'Earth's' out there, each one different than the rest. Whether it's the people that live there, or the way the land is sculpted. They are all different. Rin, in your world, Gods and Demons live together with humans, right?"

"Y- Yes they do. We all get along peacefully."

"This is my point. In Keitaro's world, such a thing does not exist. In some worlds Gods are considered holy or angelic creatures, and Demons as dark scary creatures. Not as peaceful human like creatures with funny ears." He laughed a little as he ended his sentence. Keitaro looked at Rin.

"Is that true? Do Gods and Demons really live in your world?" He asked him.

"Yes it is. It is as he says, they do look like humans, the only difference is their magic and their ears. Is it true that you don't picture them like that?"

"Yes it is. Wow, that's so cool! I'm jealous! But wait, if there's something that exceeds a universe, how come no scientist has ever made any discoveries?"

"I never said that there hasn't been. There are a lot of worlds that have made this discovery, but it's so top secret that the public must never find out directly. Research is done in multiple worlds, and is recorded in various ways. The most famous, and most usable way, is what you refer to as 'anime'." Rin and Keitaro jumped when he said that.

"Wait, you're kidding right?" Rin asked.

"Every time you watch or read an anime, you're learning about another world that does exist somewhere in a different dimension, but is portrayed as fiction, and fake. So in a way the public does know about other worlds, but it's all covered up by fairytale stories and nonsense."

"So, you're saying that in his world, my world might be an anime?" Keitaro asked.

"You would think that, but in your case, no. Neither of your worlds knows of each other yet. So your secrets are safe. For now." He laughed a little and walked towards them. "It's time for you two to experience a new life. You will-" He was cut off by Keitaro.

"But what if we don't want to switch lives? What if we want to continue living like we are?"

"Yes, he has a point. I don't want to leave everyone, especially without saying goodbye," Rin added. The Playmaker turned to them and looked them both in the eyes.

"That choice," There was a pause before he continued. "Is no longer yours. You will switch lives at the snap of my fingers, and you will awaken where the other person laid down. It's up to you to convince everybody of what has happened, and only when you truly understand why you switched lives will you get your old life back. It is also very important that you don't tell anybody about our discussion about dimensions, if you even so much as begin to explain them, you'll be locked inside the world forever." He ended his sentence by holding up his right hand, his fingers in the snapping position. Rin lashed out at The Playmaker.

"Wait! Hold on a second, how are we supposed to live the others life with no idea of what's going on?!"

"Relying on more than yourself is going to be needed. I wish you both luck, we'll meet again soon," And with the end of his sentence he snapped his fingers. The same white light that had blinded them before was back, and it engulfed them. It was just as The Playmaker had said; they had woken up in a different world, with new surroundings. Unsure of what awaited them, and unsure of what they had to do, all they could do at the moment was try to live a new life as best they could. Assuming The Playmaker would keep his word, they would meet again, and maybe next time they could get some answers, but for now that had to do the best they could by themselves. They both realized this, and they knew they had to do it. Their new life starts now.


	4. Chapter 4 A new beginning

Chapter four

A new beginning

Rin awoke in a bed in a very small room, of course, living in an apartment he was used to small rooms but this was very small. He sat up in the bed and looked around, he didn't recognize anything. He wanted to believe that it was all a dream, and that there's no way he could actually be living in a different world. As he sat there in bed, his thoughts were disturbed when he heard the door slide open.

"Keitaro are you almost-" The voice stopped when she met eyes with Rin. He looked at her and she looked at him. There was a very awkward silence.

"Just who in the hell do you think you are? What are you doing in my bed?" The woman asked moving towards him. Rin got up out of the bed and backed up into the corner.

"Wait, please! Give me a chance to explain!" Rin shouted defensively. She kept walking towards him.

"You've got five seconds," She said as she was a few feet from him.

"Please wait!"

"Four, three," She kept counting.

"The boy you know as Keitaro is no longer here, he and I have switched lives!" Rin took a step forward. "I can try my best to explain everything if you'll give me a few minutes." The women stopped walking towards him but stared deep into his eyes.

"Come with me," She said turning around. He didn't argue with her. He followed her out of the building they were in and up these really long stairs that led to what looked like a mansion.

"What is this place?" Rin asked as he looked around.

"This is an inn. Keitaro is the manager here, but if what you're saying is true then you'll be the manager until he comes back." Rin stopped.

"Wait, me?! I have no idea how to run an inn!"

"Look kid, just come inside and explain what's going on. We can get things sorted out there." The woman was very demanding. He followed her inside the inn, and when she opened the door there was a young woman sitting on the couch in the living room. She jumped off the couch when we walked inside.

"Haruka-san! Hey have you seen, hey wait, who is this?" The girl asked.

"Naru, gather everybody in the house. It's important." Haruka told her. She stood frozen for a second and then nodded her head. Haruka turned towards Rin. "Take a seat right there," She said pointing at the couch. He sat down, and she sat at the couch across from her. He looked around the inn, thinking about he was going to explain things. He looked towards Haruka.

"Haruka was it?" He asked quietly.

"Haruka-san," She corrected him assertively.

"Sorry, Haruka-san, why did you bring me here?"

"Because I know your situation. Your name is Rin Tsuchimi right?" Rin looked at her startled.

"How did you-" She cut him off.

"Don't ask questions. Just know that I know your situation. But as far as everybody else knows, I'm as clueless as they are. I'm just here to back you up in case they reject you."

"Then why were you so aggressive back at your room?"

"I knew you were coming, I didn't know you'd be in my bed." Haruka glared at him.

"Hey! It's not my fault! That's just where I woke up!" Rin yelled defensively. He was about to ask her more questions when the girl from earlier came back with four more girls.

"We're all here," The girl said. Haruka and Rin looked at her.

"If you could all take a seat..." Haruka said inviting everybody to sit down. "This boy has something he needs to talk to you all about." They all looked at Rin and then began to take seats in the living room. Once everybody was seated, Haruka nodded at Rin.

"Hi everybody, my name is Rin Tsuchimi, and this is going to sound strange, but please bear with me," He paused and took a deep breath in. "The boy you know as Keitaro has switched lives with me." He looked around at all the girls who were looking at him like he was crazy. "I know you probably don't believe me, but it's true. He and I have switched places. He's living my life and I'm living his. I know nothing of this wo-, er, place. It's all new to me," He stopped when one of the girls stood up. She was wearing a red and white kimono, and had her hand on what looked like a sword.

"And just why should we believe you! You sound crazy!" She yelled. Rin got a terrified look on his face when she unsheathed her sword. The girl he had seen earlier, Naru, as Haruka called her, also stood up.

"Motoko is right, this sounds completely insane!" She yelled. Soon they were all on their feet, everybody but Haruka and another girl who was still sitting in her chair.

"I think you're just trying to trick us!" One of the girls yelled.

"We all know Keitaro wouldn't just leave us without saying anything!" Naru yelled. Rin

was overwhelmed, and he didn't know what to say. Luckily, Haruka was there.

"Hey now, just let him finish explaining," Haruka said. All the girls looked at her, and then sat back down with displeased looks on their faces.

"I'm really sorry that this happened, and I'm sorry I don't know how to fix it." Naru jumped back into the conversation.

"So how do you know you switched lives? Did somebody just decide that you two were just going to switch? Explain that!"

"Er, well, yes actually. I closed my eyes for a second when a blinding white light engulfed me, and when I opened them I was surrounded by darkness. Soon after, I heard a voice whisper my name, and then these arrows appeared, pointing towards this white circle. It was inside there that I met Keitaro and a man called The Playmaker. He explained to us that we were switching lives, and even though we both protested it, we didn't have a choice. With just a snap of his fingers, we switched lives, and I woke up here." Naru backed away, and sat back down.

"You're kidding, right?" She asked with disbelief. Rin shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. I wish I was."

"So did he tell you how to get things switched back?" Rin struggled to find the answer.

"He did, but it was very vague. He said once we truly understand why we switched will we get our old lives back. He also said that we would meet again soon. Hopefully then I can get some answers out of him." He sighed and put his head down. He looked at the ground for a few seconds, but looked back up when he heard one of the girls jump out of their seat. It was Motoko.

"I don't care what you say; it was hard enough letting Keitaro live here, but now you? I don't think so," She approached him with her sword drawn. Rin leaned back in his seat as she got closer.

"Motoko wait," The girl that was sitting in the chair said quietly. Motoko stopped in her place and looked at the girl.

"But Shinobu-" Motoko was starting to say before Shinobu cut her off.

"If what he's saying really is true, then assaulting him with a sword won't change anything. From what he's saying, in order to get Keitaro-senpai back, he has to realize why they switched lives. So for Keitaro's sake, let him stay here." Shinobu looked at Motoko with sad eyes.

"Shinobu..." Motoko mumbled. There was an awkward silence that was soon broken by the girl that was sitting next to Rin.

"Then it's settled! Mr. Rin Tsuchimi will be staying here filling in for Keitaro, I say we party!" The girl pulled out a bottle of champagne from under the couch and popped it open. Naru smacked her upside the head.

"What did I tell you about hiding alcohol under the couch Mitsune!" Naru yelled. Rin laughed a little at the sight. All of the girls looked at him. "What's so funny?" Naru asked glaring at him.

"It's nothing, you just remind me of a friend I have back where I'm from," He smiled as he started to picture Sia. He pictured her throwing various chairs at her father, and smacking him upside the head with them. He imagined her voice, her laugh, her scent, all of it. His smile faded after a few seconds when he realized that she was gone. It hadn't really set in yet that he wasn't going to see any of them for some time. He wanted to say that it would only be for a few days, but he had a feeling he would just be lying to himself. He snapped back to reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You're welcome to stay here Rin," Shinobu told him. He looked at her, and he saw Primula. The quiet type, which no matter what, would always be there.

"You have my permission to stay here as well," Haruka said standing up. She started to walk towards the door when Rin called out after her.

"Wait, can we talk some more?" Haruka turned to him.

"Later. Right now why don't you spend some time with the people in the house, get to know them, when you're done you know where I'll be," Haruka walked out the door, and the image of Asa leaving Rin's house played in his mind. He reached his hand out, but she was already gone, just as Asa had disappeared earlier. He stared at the door for a few seconds, but was startled when Mitsune threw her arm around him.

"All right! Let's get the party started!" She yelled, now waving two champagne bottles in the air. Rin sighed, and just like earlier, Naru smacked her upside the head.

"Aww Naru, you ruin all the fun," Mitsune mumbled, picking herself up. Motoko grunted and went back upstairs.

"What's wrong with her?" Rin asked.

"She doesn't like boys very much, especially attractive ones like yourself," Mitsune replied putting her arm back around Rin. Rin blushed as she got closer.

"Mitsune!" Naru yelled, clenching her fist. Mitsune backed off quickly, not wanting to get hit with one of Naru's devastating punches. He laughed at how fast she backed off.

"You must be quite intimidating to make somebody move that fast," Rin laughed. He stopped when there was no reply. He looked towards Naru who had her fist still clenched.

"And what do you mean by that?" She asked glaring at him. His face turned white as he too scurried to the farthest wall.

"Nothing, nothing at all!" Naru continued walking towards him, her fist still clenched. As she moved closer, she didn't notice that one of the bottles that Mitsune had been carrying was rolling on the ground. She slipped on the bottle and fell towards Rin. Instinctively, Rin held out his arms to catch her. He moved quickly, but when she landed, she landed breast first into his face. Rin's face got red instantly, as did Naru's.

"You perverrrrrrrrrrrrttttttttttt ttt!" Naru yelled unleashing her fist. It connected with Rin's face, sending him flying and smashing against the wall.

"And there it is! The famous Naru punch!" Mitsune exclaimed, sounding excited. She moved over towards Rin and examined him; he looked like he was out cold. "Ah well, the first one is usually the worst. Doesn't surprise me that he's out cold." She went to walk away when she heard Rin mumble something. He started coming too, and he slowly sat up.

"Oww.." He groaned. "And I thought Asa was bad..." He whispered to himself. Naru walked towards him and offered out her hand.

"Sorry about that, sometimes I get carried away, and my temper gets the best of me. Rin looked at her, and accepted her hand. He grabbed it and pulled himself up, but this time it was him to slip on the same bottle that caused Naru to fall. He fell into her chest, and he knew what was coming next. He pulled himself back instantly, but it was too late, her fist was already in mid swing. This one also connected, planting him against the wall again.

"Learn to control yourself a little Keitar-" Naru stopped herself before she finished her sentence, and looked at Rin. Rin looked back at her, but she quickly turned away and ran. He watched as she ran up the stairs and disappeared behind the walls. He picked himself up and brushed himself off. He turned towards Mitsune who was still standing there.

"Should I go try to talk to her?" Rin asked. Mitsune shook her head.

"Just let her go for now. I'm sure it must be hard on her to lose Keitaro so early. They just started dating a few weeks ago." Rin turned and faced the stairs.

"I didn't even think about that. I had no idea her and Keitaro were dating, but I guess I should've realized it when we were walking down the path and images of her started appearing. I knew I recognized her somehow."

"So tell me Rin, do you have a special someone?" Mitsune asked approaching him.

"I do," He replied walking away. "And I'm not going to give up until I can see her again, even if it's just one more time. She needs to know that I miss her," Rin slowed down until he came to a stop. He stood still for a few seconds, and then continued walking till he was back at the couch. He sat down and looked out the window. There was a full moon, and the stars were sparkling in the sky. There were only a few clouds in the sky, but most of them were so light that you could see right through them. He was spacing off staring out the window, but the sound of a familiar voice caused him to focus again.

"Just one more time huh?" The voice said. Rin turned and looked in front of him. Across from him, sitting in the chair was The Playmaker. His arms were resting on the arms of the chair, and he had his head resting on his knuckles of his right hand. Rin leaned forward in his seat.

"What are you doing here?" Rin asked immediately. The Playmaker laughed for a few seconds.

"Did you forget that I'm the being of time and space? I'm everywhere Rin." Rin continued staring at him in the eyes. His blue eyes were much less intimidating when he was only a few feet away. They were actually kind of soothing.

"Let me rephrase; why are you here?"

"I happened to overhear your little conversation just a few moments ago, and thought that I would be a nice guy," The playmaker stood up and walked over to Rin, passing through the table. He pulled out a small box that was wrapped in green wrapping paper. He handed the box to Rin, and then turned around back to the chair. Rin looked at the box, and set it down next to him. He looked at The Playmaker, who was smiling back at him, his fingers in the snapping position.

"Thank me later," He said still smiling. And with a snap of his fingers, he disappeared.

"Rin? Helloooo? Did you hear me?" Mitsune asked in an annoying voice.

"What?" Rin asked confused.

"I asked if you had someone special." Rin looked at her funny, and then started to think. Come to think of it, Mitsune didn't say anything the entire time he and The Playmaker were talking. Not wanting to start anything confusing, he simply reanswered her.

"Yes, I do."

"Aww, well that's nice. What's her name?"

"Asa. Asa Shigure." He smiled as he said her name. He went to speak again, but instead he let out a big yawn. "Excuse me," He said embarrassed.

"Don't be, I'm sure you've had a very long day. Come with me, I'll take you to a spare room we have that you can use as your own." Mitsune started walking up the stairs. Rin got up off the couch and took a few steps before he realized he forgot the box The Playmaker had given him. He turned around and picked up, and then hurried to follow Mitsune. He ran up the stairs and looked around, he saw Mitsune down the far right side of the hallway.

"Over here," She said waving for him to come over. He walked over to her, and she slid open the door. The inside looked kind of like his apartment. Small. There was a bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, and a small table in the middle of the room. Not much, but good enough. Rin walked inside and plopped down on the bed.

"Thanks Mitsune," He said smiling at her.

"Not a problem, I'll see you bright and early at breakfast tomorrow! Get a good night's rest, sweet dreams!" Mitsune closed the door as she finished her sentence. Rin watched the door for a few seconds, and then turned his attention to the box he had received. He ripped open the wrapping paper, and opened the box. Inside was another box.

"Oh he's really funny, if there's another box inside here..." Rin mumbled as he opened the smaller box. Once he got it open he pulled out something that was encased in what felt like bubble wrap. After examining it, he pulled a small rectangular object out. He turned it around and looked at a picture of him and Asa on their date at the amusement park. He was speechless, and breathless. He looked at himself with Asa, how happy they both looked.

"Thank you," He whispered. He put the picture on the small table, and then crawled into bed. He took one last look at the picture before closing his eyes. They were only closed for what seemed like a second, when the same blinding light as before engulfed him. When he opened his eyes he was in the same spot as earlier, except he was on the opposite side from last time.

"Welcome back," He heard a voice say. It was a voice he knew all too well. It was the Playmaker's.


	5. Chapter 5 Life in a new world

Chapter five

Life in a new world

Keitaro opened his eyes, and sure enough, he was not in Haruka's bed. He looked around, the place was small enough to look like Haruka's place, but he knew it wasn't. This room was small, and didn't have much in it. There was a bed, a dresser, a mirror, and that was pretty much it. He looked at floor, and then at the walls still studying his surroundings.

"I can't believe this is happening..." Keitaro mumbled to himself. He stood up out of the bed and made his way to the door, but right as he put his hand on the handle, it swung open violently. The door crashed into Keitaro's face, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Rin! Sorry for bothering you, I know it's late but-" The voice stopped when they realized Rin wasn't in the room. "I wonder where he is?" The voice asked out loud.

"Oww..." Keitaro mumbled pulling himself up. On his way up, he happened to raise his head, and he saw a beautiful girl standing in front of him. Her hair was a long redish color, and she was wearing a short skirt. They met eyes, and started at each other for a few seconds. But then she screamed.

"You're not Rin! What did you do to him!" She yelled. She picked him up by his shit and pinned him against the wall.

"I can explain," He replied gasping for air. She let up on her grip, but only enough so he could talk clearly.

"I'm waiting!"

"It's really complicated and I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but Rin and I have switched lives. He's no longer here; I'm here in his place." Sia got even more pissed.

"Why in the world would I believe that? Rin wouldn't just leave us. He's not like that!"

"It wasn't by choice! We met each other in a place that neither of us knew. It was like we were transported there somehow, and while we were there this strange man greeted us!"

"I still don't believe you!" Sia tightened her grip again. He tried to break free, but she was too strong.

"Sia!" A deep voice yelled. Sia let go, and turned her head. She saw her father running towards her.

"Dad?" She said confused. Keitaro fell to the ground and started gasping for breath.

"_You know, compared to this girl Naru and the others are nothing,_" He thought to himself. The man came running in, and quickly helped Keitaro to his feet. Even though it was a nice gesture, Keitaro felt like his arm was going to get ripped off by the man's incredible strength.

"Terribly sorry young man, tell me, is your name Keitaro Urashima?" The man asked. He was wearing a blue kimono, and his ears were small and pointy. Keitaro looked at him confused.

"Yes, but how did you-" He was cut off.

"Excellent! Come with us, we'll help you get this all straightened out. Please excuse my Sia, it's that time of the month again," He laughed, but it wasn't a second later the girl smashed the side of his face with a chair.

"Dad!" She yelled embarrassed. The man was lying on the ground with a big red mark on his face. Keitaro was now scared for his life. He looked at the girl who had a very pissed off expression on her face as she stared at her dad. But that soon faded into the prettiest smile Keitaro had ever seen. Keitaro wanted to say something but he couldn't.

The man slowly got back on his feet, still rubbing his face where he had gotten hit.

"Come kids, we should get back to Kaede's house. Sia, when we get back can you grab Nerine and Mao? Oh, and could you also call Kaede and tell her to invite Asa over?"

"I can, but why?" Her dad's expression was like a rock. He didn't answer, but the seriousness of his face spoke for itself. Sia nodded her head and walked outside. "We'll catch up in a second," The man said. Sia disappeared outside and now it was just Keitaro and Sia's dad.

"Thank you for saving me," Keitaro said to break the silence.

"Ha! It's no problem at all, I wish I would've found out sooner so I could've prevented this whole thing," He replied laughing.

"Found what out exactly?" Keitaro asked confused.

"Well I was sitting at home, waiting for Sia to finish dinner, when a strange man appeared in front of me-" Keitaro interrupted him.

"Did he have brown hair and blue eyes? Kind of look like my age?"

"Yes! That's exactly what he looked like." Keitaro looked at the ground. "Anyways, he didn't tell me much, but I do know for a fact that Rin is no longer here, and that you are here in his place. Something about switching lives I think he said." Keitaro looked back up at him. He had a friendly smile on his face.

"So then, you know?"

"Yes. But I only know so that I can help you convince the others that this is true, because I have a strong feeling they're not going to take it well."

"Well thank you I guess." Keitaro smiled at him. "Are you by chance a God?" The man looked at him and then busted out laughing.

"Young man, I am the King of the Gods!" He slapped his hand on Keitaro's shoulder. He felt like it was going to break.

"Okay then, Mr. King-"

"Please, call me Shin!"

"Shin, shall we get going?" Shin nodded his head and walked outside. Keitaro closed the door as they left. They walked for about ten minutes. Keitaro looked at the people that were outside as they walked. He knew that some of them were Demons and some were Gods, but he still found it hard to believe. He was lost in thought and didn't see Shin stop, causing him to run into his back and almost fall over.

"We're here!" Shin yelled. Keitaro looked at the house that was in front of him, and then the two giant houses that were on either side of this house. He felt a tug on his arm, and was pulled off his feet and into the house. Shin had a hold of his arm as they walked into the house. Inside sat five of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. There was a girl with long blue hair and another with short green, and one with short orange, and one with long silver, and then there was Sia. There was also another tall skinny man sitting there, Keitaro assumed it was Nerine's father, whoever Nerine was.

"Good, you're all here," Shin said calmly. It was hard to believe it was the same loud man from earlier. His voice changed dramatically. All of the girls had their eyes locked on Keitaro.

"What's going on dad?" Sia asked quietly. Shin sat down next to her on the couch, and then invited Keitaro to take a seat in one of the chairs that was across from them. Shin looked up at Keitaro.

"I'll let him explain." Keitaro looked around at all the girls still staring at him. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"The boy that all of you know as Rin isn't here anymore. He and I have switched lives." All of the girls gasped when he said that. But then one of them started laughing. It was the green haired girl.

"Ha ha, that's a good one. So where is he? Is he outside waiting for all of us to fall for this stupid trick? I bet he is, come on out Rin!" She yelled. Keitaro looked at her not knowing what to say. Her voice faded from happy to sad. "It is a stupid trick right?" Keitaro looked away and back at Shin.

"I'm afraid this boy speaks the truth, as hard as it is to believe, Rin isn't here anymore," Shin said in his calm voice.

"Then where is he?!" The green haired girl yelled, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I...I don't know," Shin looked at the ground not wanting to look in her eyes. He felt a tug on his Kimono.

"Dad, you can't do anything?" Sia asked in a sad voice. Shin looked his daughter in the eyes, and shook his head.

"I've already tried, we can't find him anywhere. It's like he's vanished from this world." Another girl spoke up now. It was the blue haired girl.

"What about you dad, can you do anything?" She looked at the tall skinny man who was leaning against the wall. He was slow to speak.

"I can try, but I can't make any promises." Keitaro knew that girl must be Nerine. Even though this was a bad time, he was trying to figure out who was who. There were three girls left, one of them was Kaede, and one was Asa. He had no idea who the other girl was, because there was no name provided.

The small grey haired girl walked over to the orange haired girl and rubbed her back.

"Kaede, are you okay?" She asked in a quiet innocent voice. Kaede looked at her, and pulled her in for a hug.

"Primula..." Kaede whispered. Keitaro could tell she was crying. But at least now he knew who everybody was.

"I wish I knew what to tell all of you," Keitaro whispered. All the girls looked at him, they were all in tears, all of them but Primula, but even though she wasn't crying, he could tell she was sad. "I know that all of you are sad, I'm sad too. I had to leave all of my friends behind too without saying goodbye, so I know what it's like. I wish I could say that it'll be back to normal soon but I can't. I don't know how. I was told that once I realize why I'm here, only then can I go back. But even then, I don't know if that will bring Rin back." He stopped and looked at the girls, when he felt a sharp pain on his right cheek. Asa slapped him across his face.

"You have no idea what it's like. Rin wasn't just some boy here; he gave all of these girls that are in this room hope! That's not something that you can just give back to us!" Keitaro looked at her. She had tears going down her face. Her facial expression was mixed with anger and sadness.

"You must be his girlfriend," Keitaro whispered. She turned, and headed for the door.

"Asa wait," Kaede said quietly. Hearing Kaede's voice caused her to turn around. "None of us like this, and you can argue with me if you want, but this is hard on all of us. I just lost Rin a few weeks ago when he moved out. It crushed me that he was only moving a few blocks away, but now that he's nowhere to be found, how do you think I feel?" Asa looked at Kaede.

"Kaede..." Asa whispered.

"You might be his girlfriend Asa, but all of us love him too." Asa looked away from her and at all the other girls who were just as heartbroken as she was.

"I'm sorry guys," Asa said quietly. She walked back towards her seat, and sat down. Keitaro looked around and then spoke.

"Even though I'm not Rin, and I could never replace him, I would still like to be a friend to all of you. I don't know anything around here, and I could sure use some help getting used to things. We're getting off to a bad start, and I don't want to be the bad guy in this, so I would really like it if we could be friends." Keitaro smiled at them, and the tears stopped running down their faces.

"I think that's a great idea," Shin said still calmly. He looked to Sia. "What about you?" He rubbed his hand on her head.

"It'll take some getting used to," Sia whispered. Nerine's father approached Nerine and put his hand on her shoulder.

"What about you Nerine?" He asked her.

"I think that it's a good idea," She replied. The four of them then turned to Asa, Kaede, and Primula.

"I...I don't know," Asa mumbled.

"Asa.." Kaede said. Asa looked at Kaede and then smiled.

"If Kaede is willing, then I am too." Kaede smiled back at Asa, but only for a second.

"Rimu?" Nerine asked softly.

"I can try," She replied in her soft quiet voice.

"Thank you," Keitaro said. Shin stood up off the couch after Keitaro spoke.

"I'm sure it has been a long day for all of you, especially you Keitaro. Why don't we all take a day to relax tomorrow since there's no class. We can go to the beach!" Shin started laughing. "I'll bring the drinks and we can drink our problems away!" He continued laughing, but just like earlier, the laughter came to a halt when he was hit with a chair across the face. The force of the swing sent him flying.

"You're unbelievable!" Sia yelled. Keitaro smiled at the display, and let out a laugh. Sia looked at him, as did the other girls. His continued to laugh, slowly getting louder. Eventually the other girls joined him in laughter. Even Sia couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"So what do you all say? I'd like to get to know you all, so spending the day relaxing sounds like a great idea," Keitaro asked them. They all nodded their heads in agreement, even Sia. Shin was quick to get back on his feet this time.

"Then it's settled! We'll go to the beach tomorrow! Why don't we all meet at my place for breakfast, and then we can head to the beach afterwards! Girls, do you think you could prepare a picnic for lunch?" Kaede smiled and nodded her head.

"We could all cook something together if you want," She said quietly.

"I think that'd be fun," Asa said trying to lighten the mood still.

"I'll pitch in too!" Sia yelled.

"I think I'll let the three of you handle that," Nerine laughed. The others laughed as well.

"Are you sure? You could still come and talk with us," Asa offered. Nerine smiled and said that she would come. With that, Asa, Nerine, and her dad left the house.

"Where should I sleep?" Keitaro asked. "I don't want to sleep at Rin's house, because I have no right to do so."

"Listen to this boy! Such respect," Shin laughed, patting Keitaro's shoulders. Now Keitaro was sure that one of them must be dislocated. "If Sia doesn't mind, we have an extra room upstairs that you could use." Keitaro looked at Sia. She smiled at him.

"I don't mind," She replied in a friendly voice.

"Thank you," Keitaro told them. He waved goodbye to Kaede and Primula and left the house with Shin and Sia. He followed them to their house next door. When he got inside, he slipped off his shoes, and followed Shin as he showed him his room.

"Just go up the stairs, and turn right, and it's right here," Shin said sliding the door open. This room strongly reminded Keitaro of his room back in his world. Keitaro walked inside and looked around. His face got sad. He felt a hand on his shoulder, he knew it was Shin's but it wasn't crushing him like usual.

"It must be hard. Trying to comfort all those girls while dealing with the same problem is a tough, but noble thing. I'm sure that they appreciated it, even though it might not seem like it. If you need anything ever, don't hesitate to ask. I am the King of the Gods after all." Shin's words were encouraging, and surprisingly comforting.

"Thanks," Keitaro told him. He felt Shin's hand leave his shoulder, and he heard him leave the room. The door closed and Keitaro sat down on the floor.

"I wonder if Naru and the others miss me," He mumbled. "All of these girls were in tears when they found out that Rin wasn't here, I wonder how Naru and the others reacted."

"Do you miss them?" He heard a voice ask. Keitaro looked behind him to find Sia standing there. "Sorry I didn't knock."

"No it's okay, I just didn't expect to see you there," Keitaro replied. Sia sat down next to him. "But yes, I do miss them. It's going to be hard, but I think I'll manage."

"Do you have somebody special?" Sia asked bluntly.

"Yes, but I don't think she knows how special."

"You never told her?"

"Well she's not the type that reacts well to those kinds of things. I'm just as clueless as she is, and she gets all embarrassed when I tell her she's cute or something, and it usually results in me getting punched." Sia laughed at his comment.

"She sounds a lot like Asa in a way, which is weird because Asa is Rin's girlfriend. She's always aggressive towards him, and enjoys teasing him." Sia's voice got quiet as she spoke.

"If Asa and Rin are together, then why-" Sia cut him off.

"Why do we still love him?" Keitaro nodded his head. "Well, each of us had our own reason. Rin is just; he's perfect in every aspect. He's smart, funny, caring, everything you look for in a guy, and we all realize this, so even though he has a girlfriend, that doesn't change how perfect he still is for us." Sia looked at Keitaro.

"So what's her name?" Keitaro blinked, and realized he was lost in thought.

"What? I'm sorry," He asked embarrassed.

"Your special someone, what's her name?"

"Naru.." Keitaro's voice trailed off as he said her name. Sia stood up off the ground.

"Well I'm sure if she's anything like us, she misses you just as much as you miss her." Keitaro laughed when she said that.

"Naru isn't like a normal girl, I don't think that-" Sia cut him off again.

"Do you consider us normal?" Sia laughed. Keitaro did too.

"I guess not." Keitaro said as he smiled at her. She turned around and went to walk out the door.

"See you tomorrow Keitaro! My room is right down the hall if you need me," She smiled at him as she shut the door. He smiled back at her until the door was shut. After she left, he stood up and made his way to the bed. He layed down and looked up at the ceiling.

"Tough first day?" He heard a voice say. He looked over, and leaning against the wall was The Playmaker. Keitaro rolled out of bed, and sat up.

"It didn't go as bad as it could have," Keitaro replied. The Playmaker laughed. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask, I may or may not answer." Keitaro looked into his blue eyes, they were so soothing from close up.

"How are Naru and the others doing?" The Playmaker was silent for a few seconds, and then he stopped leaning on the wall and walked up to Keitaro. He didn't answer him, but instead handed him a box. Keitaro took the box, but was confused. The Playmaker smiled at him, and held up his fingers in the snapping position.

"A gift from me to you," He said smiling at him. Just as he was about to snap his fingers, the door slid open. The playmaker looked quickly at the door, and standing there was Primula.

"Primula..?" Keitaro asked.

"How can you..? The Playmaker was confused. Primula slowly walked up to him.

"Mister, do you know where Rin is?" Primula asked in her sweet little voice. The Playmaker bent his knees and got down so they were face to face.

"I might," He replied.

"Could you give this to him please?" Primula asked handing him a stuffed cat. He took hold of the cat, and then patted her on the head. He stood back up, and looked at the cat. When he looked back up, Primula was walking out the door, and then she was gone.

"That girl..." The Playmaker whispered. He had a shocked look on his face. Keitaro walked up to him.

"What about her?" He asked. The Playmaker turned to him, and held up the cat. Keitaro looked at it, and back at him. He didn't get it. The Playmaker then let the cat go, but it didn't fall. Keitaro jumped back.

"Why didn't it fall?" He asked confused.

"Because time is stopped." The Playmaker said in a very serious voice. Keitaro looked at him, still confused. "Being the embodiment of time and space, I can pause and play time whenever I want. Just now, time is stopped. Look around, the wind isn't blowing, the crickets aren't chirping, the clouds are stationary, but that girl...she just walked right in here." Keitaro looked at The Playmakers face and then out the window. He was right, nothing was moving.

"I'll have to look into this," The Playmaker mumbled. "I have to go, we'll meet soon," And with that he snapped his fingers, and in a blinding white light, he vanished. As soon as he was gone, he chirps of the crickets returned, and the soothing sound of the wind filled the air once again. Keitaro looked around confused, but then remembered that he was holding the box he got from The Playmaker. He layed back down on the bed and looked at the box. It was a small black box that had a red ribbon tied around it. He undid the ribbon, and pulled the lid off the box. Inside was a small picture frame. He pulled it out, and flipped it over, and inside of it, was a picture of him and Naru. He smiled at the picture and set in on the desk next to the bed. He smiled at it, and then went to turn the light off. Once it was off, he made his way back to bed, and closed his eyes. Right as he was about to fall asleep, he was engulfed by the same white light he had just seen. When he opened his eyes, he was back into the realm of The Playmaker. He could see the white circle off in the distance, but it looked different. He then realized it was because he was on the other side of it. Last time he had been here, he came from the other side. He followed the path to the circle when he heard a voice echo.

"Welcome back," The voice said. Keitaro recognized it instantly. It was The Playmakers.


	6. Chapter 6 A gift for home

Chapter six

A gift for home

Keitaro and Rin greeted each other again, this time with a smile. They stared at each other, and then towards The Playmaker.

"I see you both are doing well," The Playmaker said. He smiled at them, but he could tell that they were homesick. "As you know," He began to say, breaking the silence. "I greeted you both with a present from your world, a picture of you and the person you love." Keitaro and Rin looked at each other.

"How's Asa?"

"How's Naru?" They both asked at the same time. They laughed as they spoke in synchronization. Rin spoke first.

"Naru and the others are having trouble getting used to me, but I think it'll all work out. Naru hasn't said anything but I can tell she misses you, just by the way she reacted when your name slipped out of her mouth," Rin told Keitaro. Keitaro's face lit up.

"What happened?" He asked cheerfully. Rin laughed as he got ready to tell the story.

"Well we had a little tripping accident with one of Mitsune's Champaign bottles, and she was about to call me a pervert, but your name slipped out instead. I want to ask..." Rin trailed off as he slyly smiled at Keitaro.

"No! It's not what you think! We just had a few little accidents is all," Keitaro was embarrassed. Rin laughed at him. "What happened next?" Keitaro asked, pushing the topic along.

"She stopped in mid swing, and ran off. I wanted to go after her, but Mitsune told me otherwise, so I didn't." Keitaro smiled at the thought of Naru actually missing him.

"Well, what about Asa? And all the others?" Rin asked desperately.

"When I told them that you weren't coming back, they all started crying. I couldn't even sympathize with them, when I tried Asa slapped me." Rin laughed, you could hear the sadness in it.

"That sounds like Asa," He whispered quietly. Rin was about to speak again, but The Playmaker had spoken first.

"Oh! That reminds me," He said reaching for something next to his chair. He picked up the stuffed cat that was given to him by Primula. "This is for you Rin," He tossed the cat to him. Rin caught it, and looked at it.

"Primula's cat," He smiled softly at it. He held it close to his chest, like he was embracing it. The Playmaker walked towards Rin.

"Tell me about this Primula girl Rin. She seems different than the others," He asked with curiosity in his voice. Rin looked at him confused.

"You mean you don't know about her? Don't you know everything?"

"That's why I'm concerned. I do know everything, but Primula, I have no records of her. Something about her is different; it's keeping me from knowing her." Rin was now really confused.

"I don't understand. I mean, Primula is different for sure, but I wouldn't have the slightest idea what would cause it so that not even you know of her." The Playmaker's face was even more concerned.

"Does she have some kind of magical power?" He asked. Rin looked up at him with a shocked look on his face.

"She does actually. She was a creation of the Gods and Demons, and she has the power of both of them inside her, but there's no way it could be enough to avoid detection. You'd think that it'd actually be the opposite." The Playmaker walked away in thought. "Why? Did something happen?" Rin looked to Keitaro, and then back towards The Playmaker. Keitaro decided to answer his question.

"Well The Playmaker appeared in my room to give me the gift, and in the middle of our conversation, Primula walked in, gave him the cat, and left. I didn't think anything of it, that is, until he told me that time was stopped. I didn't believe him until I looked around and nothing was moving or making sound." Rin looked at Keitaro startled.

"You're kidding me?" He asked in disbelief. Keitaro shook his head. Rin looked at the cat Primula had given to him. It was the same cat he had bought for her. He looked at it for a few seconds, and then looked back up towards The Playmaker.

"So why are we here? You didn't bring the both of us here to talk about that did you?" Rin asked boldly. The Playmaker smiled.

"Glad you asked," He smirked as he snapped his fingers. Two small black boxes appeared in his hands, he gave one to Rin and the other to Keitaro. They looked at the boxes in confusion. "Inside these boxes is money. I suggest using it on clothes and other basic needs since you have none, but I can't tell you what to do."

Keitaro and Rin opened their boxes, and sure enough, there was a lot of money inside.

"Thanks!" They yelled.

"No problem, but this is the only amount of money you'll get from me. Use it how you see fit, but once it's gone, it's up to you to earn more." The Playmaker laughed his usual laugh. "Oh, there's one more thing," He said softly.

"And that would be?" Keitaro asked.

"Well since I've brought you both a gift, it's time you sent a gift. Each of you can send any one item to any one person. It can be the person you love, or somebody else. It really doesn't matter to me. I can either send it back with the other person, or I can make a personal delivery. This part does matter to me though. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem doing it, it's just that sometimes it causes more problems than it should," The Playmaker stopped to laugh. "The choice is yours. Just think about it a little."

Rin and Keitaro both stared off into space, thinking hard about what they wanted to send to who. The Playmaker studied their faces and realized that they were really thinking about this. He smiled and then snapped his fingers. Two lounge chairs appeared right behind both of the boys. They looked behind them, and then took a seat in the comfiest chair either of them has ever sat in. Rin was the first of them to speak.

"I know what I want," He said with confidence. The Playmaker smiled at him, waiting for him to continue. "I want you to give it to Asa personally. It'll be comforting for her to see you, and know that this isn't just a dream, that this is real and that I'm still thinking about her every day."

"If that's what you want, then I'll do it. Now what do you want to send her?" Rin got up close to him, and whispered it in his ear. The Playmaker looked into Rin's eyes, and he could tell that this meant a lot to him. "If that's what you really want to send her, then so it shall be. You're sure you don't want to send her like a pony or something?" He asked sarcastically.

"What is she going to do with a pony in Japan?!"

"I fail to see your point." Rin shared a laugh with The Playmaker. The Playmaker's attention turned towards Keitaro. He was still lost in thought.

"Ugh... I don't know!" He yelled out. "I have no idea what to send to Naru! I feel like anything I send will just anger her," Keitaro lowered his head.

"The pony option is still on the table…" The playmaker said quietly.

"Shut up…" Rin laughed as he said it.

"Do you want me to deliver it to her Keitaro?" The Playmaker asked. Keitaro thought about it, but then shook his head.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. Naru can be a bit…aggressive. Besides it'll give Rin a reason to get to know her if he gives it to her, whatever it is." Keitaro replied.

"I didn't say it had to be something you had to buy. You could write her a note if you want, or something like that." Keitaro thought about it, but he couldn't decide.

"Keitaro," The Playmaker said softly. Keitaro looked over at him. His eyes were glowing a really light blue color. Something about them captivated Keitaro, he couldn't look away. He couldn't blink, he was paralyzed. This feeling only lasted a few seconds, and whatever was paralyzing him was broken when The Playmaker blinked.

"You want to tell her that you love her," The Playmaker said. Keitaro jumped back at the statement.

"How did you..? I mean, I don't know…" Keitaro was kind of embarrassed. He blushed and looked away.

"How did you know..?" Rin asked him.

"Remember when I appeared to both of you, and we locked eyes for a few seconds before I gave you the present?" Rin and Keitaro didn't answer out loud, but they remembered. "I was able to, in a way, read your mind through your face, and in that short amount of time I was able to give you what you wanted most. And that was to see the person you loved. The easiest way, and fastest way was to transport a picture of that person inside the box I gave you."

Keitaro and Rin looked at each other, and then back to him.

"So you didn't already have the picture when you showed up?" Keitaro asked. The Playmaker shook his head.

"These eyes aren't just for looks," He said smiling. They both looked at his eyes, and the same feeling as when they met him earlier returned. The soothing sensation they got came back, and they felt as though they were locked in a gaze.

"That's incredible," Rin mumbled. The Playmaker laughed at his remark, and then turned back to Keitaro.

"So now that I know what you want to send her, I can offer a suggestion."

"If you say a pony…" Rin mumbled. The Playmaker laughed.

"No sadly, but I'm still all for that. Anyways, I think you should write her a letter. Tell her how you feel, cause even if she has trouble understanding and believing it at first, she can keep it and look back at it when she misses you." He snapped his fingers. A piece of paper and a pencil appeared in Keitaro's hands. He looked at them, and then back at The Playmaker. He took a seat back in the chair, and started to write. He wrote a few words, and then heard The Playmaker snap his fingers again. Another piece of paper appeared at the exact moment Keitaro crumpled up the old one. Keitaro looked at him puzzled.

"Mind reader," The Playmaker said raising his eyebrows up and down. Keitaro smiled and started the letter over again.

Rin decided that now would be a good time to ask questions while they were waiting on Keitaro to finish his letter.

"So, Playmaker, How did you earn that name?" Rin asked him. He looked at Rin and smiled.

"That's a good question," The Playmaker's eyes closed a little. "I was put into the worlds without a name. I have no idea how I got where I am, or why I possess what I possess."

"What do you mean?" Rin was confused.

"I don't know how to explain it. This body that I have, I don't know how I got it. I don't know how I have the power to control time and space, I just know that I can."

"Were you created?"

"I…I don't know. I don't see any other logical explanation, but that seems impossible to create somebody who can control time and space. If that was possible, then why aren't there more people like me?"

"Have you ever thought about trying to live a normal life?" The Playmaker looked at Rin, and locked eyes with him.

"How could I? If I don't keep an eye on everything, there's no guarantee that things will stay how they are. Being able to control time, I can prevent horrible things from happening, but I need help. I can't just change the past; I can only hope that other people can change it. I can only guide them."

"I see. I could never understand what it's like, but I can imagine. That's a lot of responsibility."

"It is… Sometimes I can get overwhelming. So sometimes I stop time so that I can recover from everything, take some time off and try and figure out what I can do." Rin walked up to him, and went to touch him, but as expected, his hand went through him.

"So where is your real body?"

"My real body is off in another world. I usually only show up in my real body when I feel like something is very important that requires my direct intervention." The Playmaker looked away from Rin.

"Do you ever get anytime to hang out with friends? Being able to be everywhere at once you must have friends somewhere, right?" The Playmaker laughed.

"Tell me Rin, would you want to be friends with someone who you couldn't touch, and was never there in person. Someone who was always busy everyday of every week of every year; never being able to stay still." The Playmaker looked back at Rin.

"Yes." Rin's answer was very serious. They looked at each other's eyes, but The Playmaker only laughed.

"You're quite the person Rin."

"Finally! I'm done!" Keitaro yelled, jumping out of his chair. He read over his letter one more time, and then handed it to The Playmaker. As soon as it reached his hands, it was instantly wrapped up inside and envelope. The Playmaker then passed the envelope to Rin.

"It's your job to make sure she gets this," He said. Rin accepted the letter, and smiled.

"Don't worry, she'll get it. I promise." Rin's words were sincere. The Playmaker raised his fingers in the snapping position.

"Well then, looks like it's time to get back. Don't worry, when you return you'll be sound asleep, that way you'll have energy for the next morning. We'll meet again tomorrow night, just like tonight. When you fall asleep, you'll awaken here. You'll both come at the same time, so if one falls asleep at seven at night, and the other one falls asleep at two in the morning, you'll both be here at the same time, so don't worry. Good luck guys, have fun," And with that The Playmaker snapped his fingers, sending them both back to their beds. They didn't awaken, they continued sleeping, just as they were told.

"Once they were gone, The Playmaker looked at the box that he was to give to Asa. He smiled at it, and then snapped his fingers, sending himself to Rin's world, so he could give Asa the gift. When he appeared, he appeared in her room. She was sitting at her desk in a light pink night shirt, wearing shorts. She was brushing her hair while looking in the mirror.

"Rin did good picking out a girl like you," The Playmaker said. Asa jumped out of her seat and held her brush like a weapon.

"Who the hell do you think you are? If you think that because I'm a girl I won't kick your ass, you're sadly mistaken." Asa replied violently. The Playmaker held his ground, still leaning against the wall.

"Relax Asa; I'm not here to rape you or anything. I came to deliver a gift." Asa still didn't buy it.

"How dumb do you think I am? What's so important about this gift that it couldn't wait till school Monday?"

"It's from Rin." The Playmaker's voice was bold, and it caught her off guard. She backed down a little, lowering her brush.

"Rin…" She mumbled. She looked at the man, and fell captive to his gaze. His bright blue eyes were paralyzing her.

"You miss him," He said softly.

"Of course I miss him! He's my boyfriend and he just up and left! Hey wait, how do you know he's gone?" Asa asked suspiciously.

"Rin really did well. You're quick," He laughed as he finished his sentence.

"Just who are you?"

"Call me, The Playmaker." Asa smiled as he said that.

"You're kidding right?" She said trying not to laugh. He looked at her with a serious face. "So, 'Playmaker', how did you get in here? My door is shut, and I'm pretty sure the front door was locked." He smiled at her.

"I have my ways. Anyways, do you want the gift?" He extended out the box to her. She walked towards him cautiously, and slowly. She placed one hand on the box, and then quickly snatched it out of his hands.

"Tell me how you know about Rin." She told him. He looked in her eyes before he spoke.

"You could say that I'm the one who caused this. I 'm the one that made them switch lives." He told her like it was no big deal. Her eyes grew big with disbelief.

"What do you mean..?" Her voice was as shaky as her body. She walked towards him. "You did this?" The Playmaker stood firm. She raised her hand and went to swing. The Playmaker reacted quickly, and caught her fist in his hand. She was starting to cry. "Bring him back! If you pulled him out of my life, you can put him back!" She was yelling, but her voice was filled with tears. She tried to keep swinging, but they were horrible punches. He dodged them all without moving his feet.

"It's not my place to bring him back. He has to come back on his own." He was holding her fist in his hand as he spoke. She eventually gave up fighting and went to her bed. She buried her face in her pillow. The Playmaker walked up to her, and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Honestly, if I could switch them back, I would." His voice had faded from his usual voice, and it had a sense of sadness in it. Asa raised her head from her pillow.

"What do you mean?" She asked softly.

"I can't switch them back even if I tried. They are stuck where they are until they realize for themselves why they switched lives. I can't change anything until they realize that."

"And what is it that they have to realize?" The Playmaker looked off into the distance, glancing at the moon.

"If I knew that, things would be a lot simpler." His voice was still sad. Asa sat up on her bed next to him.

"You know, it's not often that I believe total strangers who just randomly appear in my room this late at night," She paused and laughed. "But I believe you. I don't think you would go through all this trouble to lie to me." The Playmaker looked at her.

"Rin was right on the money about you," He said with a sense of humor. She tilted her head confused. "He said that it would do you good to meet me, to see me with your own eyes." She smiled as she looked out the window.

"If anybody knows me, it's Rin. You could ask him anything about me, and I bet you that he could answer you." The Playmaker moved his hand onto the box that she was still holding onto. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. What is it?" She asked undoing the ribbon.

"Just open it and see for yourself." The Playmaker smiled as she peeled away the wrapping paper, and pulled out a small box inside. She popped of the lid, and out of it, she pulled out a bright pink ribbon. On it was a note.

"_I'm still thinking about you, no matter how far apart we are. I love you Asa, I'll be back for you as soon as I can. I promise. – Rin_" Asa smiled and undid the ribbon that was in her hair already. She put the black ribbon next to her on the bed, and tied the pink one in its place. She looked at The Playmaker.

"Thank you," She whispered to him. He stood up off the bed and went back to the wall.

"Take care Asa." He got ready to snap his fingers when he heard her say something.

"Tell Rin next time you see him that I love him," Her face was blushing as she was petting the ribbon in her hair. He smiled at her.

"I'll see what I can do," She laughed, and so did he. "I suggest closing your eyes." She was about to ask why, when he snapped his fingers, blinding her with the same white light that blinded Rin and Keitaro. When she opened her eyes he was gone, but the impact he made before he left was still present. He continued petting the ribbon, and laid down for the night. She put the note beside her, and closed her eyes. Her dreams that night were filled with nothing but her and Rin. She knew that Rin was out there somewhere, and that no matter where he was, he would stay true to his promise. He would come back for her; hopefully before it it's too late…


	7. Chapter 7 One step closer

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to post the new chapter, but with college starting things have been pretty crazy and I haven't had a lot of down time.. But! There's a but! Things are finally starting to settle down and I have more free time so hopefully the next chapter won't take so long :)

Chapter seven

One step closer

After a good night's rest, Rin awoke feeling completely renewed and refreshed. He sat up in the bed and stretched out his arms. He yawned as he looked out the window; outside the sky was a perfect blue color. The clouds were thin and clear, it was a beautiful day outside. He leaned back on his hands when he felt something under his hand. It was the letter he was to give to Naru from Keitaro. He picked it up and looked at the envelope, he thought about reading it, but quickly shook that thought from his mind. He set the envelope on the table in the middle of the room, and walked over to the dresser. He opened it, but soon realized that there weren't any clothes in there to change in to.

"Oh right," He muttered. He sighed as he closed the dresser. He felt around in his pocket for the box The Playmaker had given him that contained money. It took a few seconds but soon he pulled it out and checked all the cash that was in there. There was a lot, a lot more than he was used to anyways.

"_I need to find some time to go and get clothes, maybe one of the girls here can take me shopping. Geez, listen to me, I sound like a women. If Asa heard me talk like this…_" His thoughts trailed off as he thought about her. He glanced over to the picture of them that was on the table, and he smiled a forced smile. His thoughts were broken when he heard the sound of what sounded like a heard of animals come racing up the stairs.

"Riiiiiiinnnn!" The voice shouted. His door slid opened, and on the other side was Mitsune. "Oh good, you're awake!"

"Yes I'm awake. You're rather loud for it being so early in the morning," Rin said sarcastically. Mitsune laughed at his remark.

"I'm always loud! Anyways, wash up and get ready to come down for breakfast, Shinobu is making an extra-large meal today!"

"Well see, when I switched lives with Keitaro, I didn't bring any clothes with me so I'm kind of stuck in this outfit until I can get new clothes," Rin laughed awkwardly. Mitsune looked at him, and then she yelled out in excitement.

"I know! We can take you shopping! I'll talk to everybody at breakfast and that's what we'll do this afternoon, so just take a shower and change back into those clothes, and then we'll get you some new ones later."

"Are you sure? If it's do much of a hassle I can go and do it on my own," Rin insisted but Mitsune had her mind set on it already.

"Nonsense! It's no trouble at all, and if the others don't want to go I'll take you by myself, it'll be like a date," She winked at Rin. Rin sighed.

"You sound just like Kareha…" His voice trailed off. She laughed, and then went to walk out of the room. "Hey wait! Where's the bathroom?" Mitsune stopped and turned to him with a awkward face.

"Well you see…" She didn't give him an answer. She waved her hand, and he followed her onto the top deck of the inn, where outside was a small round tub that had a pipe than ran water into it.

"You're…not serious are you?" Rin asked stuttering.

"This is where Keitaro had to do all of his hygiene stuff; we couldn't trust him in the hot springs with all these young ladies. You understand don't you? Good!" Mitsune ran away after she finished her sentence.

"Wait! Mitsune!" Rin yelled out after her, but she was already gone. He looked at the small tub and sighed. He realized it was useless to try and argue, so he just made himself comfy in the tub. He started the water, and he relaxed as the hot water and steam melted his thoughts away. He leaned his arms on the outside of the tub and rested his head back so he could look into the sky.

"It's such a nice day," He mumbled. He sunk down into the tub so that only his head was above the water. As he continued to relax even more, he went all the way under to get his hair wet, at the same time the door that led out to where he was slid open. Rin was already under the water so he didn't notice at first.

"Keitaro…" The voice whispered. They walked up towards the tub, and as they were about ready to peek into it, Rin shot out.

"Ahhh!" He yelled feeling refreshed. He reached his arms out in the air, and went to lean back on the tub, when he noticed Naru standing in front of him. Her face turned bright red as her eyes locked with Rin's.

"N- Naru…" Rin said stuttering.

"R- Rin?" She asked awkwardly. Her face was still filled with embarrassment still. Rin backed himself away from her, as much as the tub would let him.

"I didn't do anything!" He tried to defend himself, not knowing what she would do. She put her head down, and turned around.

"I'm sorry," She said running towards the door. She ran out, and quickly shut the door behind her, leaving Rin confused in the tub. This side of Naru was completely different than the side he had seen yesterday. She was quiet and subtle, compared to the aggressive and loud girl that she was yesterday. Rin stared out into the sky, pondering what just happened.

"That was weird…" He mumbled to himself.

He finished up in the bath, and got dressed back in his room. After he was dressed, he walked over to the picture of him and Asa. He picked it up, and looked at it.

"I miss you," He whispered. He could feel his eyes getting a little teary, and before he knew it he felt a string of water run down his cheek. He wiped off the tear with his sleeve, but another one fell to take its place. "What's wrong with me? I hardly ever cry…" His voice was scratchy and soft as he continued to cry.

"Hey," He heard a voice say. He put the picture down quickly, and turned to the door. Naru was standing there, looking about as sad as he was.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were there," He said trying to wipe off his face, and change his voice back to normal.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she walked into the room. She walked over to his bed and sat down. She looked at Rin, awaiting his answer. He walked over and sat next to her.

"Honestly, I don't know. I feel fine, but I guess it hasn't really hit me that they're gone you know?"

"Hey, don't say that. They're never gone. They're still out there somewhere, and even if they're not here in person they'll live on in your memories and in your heart. I know that sounds cheesy, but that's what I have to tell myself about..." Her voice trailed off as she too got teary eyed. Rin put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. This was a completely different girl from what he saw yesterday. As a tear slipped down her face, he remembered the letter. He removed his hand from her shoulder, and walked to the table. He picked up the letter and walked back to Naru.

"We got off to a bad start. This is a letter from Keitaro, he wrote it for you and gave it to me to give to you," Rin forced a smile as he handed it to her. She looked at him, and slowly took the letter out of his hands. She opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Her eyes scanned the letter, and she smiled.

"Idiot…" She whispered, her voice had a slight amount of happiness in it. Enough that Rin could tell anyways. She finished reading it, and she set it on her lap.

"Thank you," She told Rin. She no longer had tears on her face, and she was sort of smiling.

"It's really no big deal," Rin laughed. They smiled at each other for a second before Rin spoke again. "It's really hard on me too. I miss Asa a lot, but I know I'll see her again. I just know I will." He spoke with determination. Naru smiled at him as she stood up off the bed and walked towards the door.

"Come on, breakfast is ready," She said, motioning him to follow her. He followed her out of his room and down the stairs to the dining room. Everybody was gathered around the table as Shinobu was bringing out the plates of food. Mitsune and Kaolla were drooling just over the smell; it was like they were hypnotized by it. Motoko still didn't approve of Rin, so she sat on the far end of the table, and kept her eyes closed. Rin and Naru sat next to each other on the other side, and across from Motoko and Kaolla.

"The food smells delicious!" Rin yelled as he picked up his silverware. Shinobu blushed as she kept receiving compliments on her food. As Shinobu took her seat, the rest of them began to dig in. Rin looked at the others as he hesitantly started to eat. They ate in silence for a few minutes, but Mitsune eventually spoke up.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Rin here needs to buy some clothes, so I was thinking we could all go out shopping later. It's been a while since we've gone out and I think it'd be fun!" She spoke so cheerfully. Naru looked up at her with a smile.

"I think that's a good idea," She replied happily. Mitsune looked from Naru to Shinobu. She spoke quietly,

"I'll go too." Mitsune then looked to Motoko who didn't say anything. Mitsune waited a few seconds but then spoke.

"What about you Motoko?" Motoko glared at Rin, and then Mitsune.

"No." She said boldly.

"Bu-" Mitsune started to say before Rin cut her off.

"No it's alright. If she doesn't want to go then there's no sense in forcing her." He smiled at Motoko after he finished his sentence. She kept her eyes locked onto him, but then suddenly stood up and walked out of the room.

"Can't please them all…" Mitsune mumbled. Rin and Naru sighed as Motoko left.

"Hey! What about me!" An energetic voice yelled. Mitsune looked next to her and completely forgot about Kaolla.

"Oh! I'm sorry; would you like to come too?"

"No, but I just wanted you to ask," Kaolla stuck her tongue out at Mitsune and then went back to eating. Rin laughed as Mitsune blushed.

"Well then looks like it'll just be us four going out," Rin said.

"When should we go?" Naru asked.

"Well I figured we could go this evening or late afternoon so that we would have something to do," Mitsune replied. Naru looked to Rin.

"Is that okay?"

"Sounds good to me. Shinobu?" Everybody looked to Shinobu.

"Y-Yes that's fine with me, but by then won't I have to cook dinner for Kaolla and Motoko?" Mitsune slugged back in her seat.

"Oh shoot, I forgot that they won't be coming with us," Mitsune sighed as she tried to think of a solution.

"I'll stay back and cook for them, it's no big deal," Shinobu said smiling. We all looked up at her.

"Are you sure?" Naru asked her.

"Yes, I don't really have the money to spend anyways." Shinobu stood up and started picking up the empty plates.

"Shinbou-" Rin started to say.

"Please don't worry about it," Shinobu said still smiling. Rin sighed in disappointment, but then smiled back at her.

"Okay, well since you're being nice enough to stay behind, I'll make sure to buy you something." Shinobu blushed and snapped back.

"No, please don't, I couldn't ask that-" Rin cut her off.

"Relax," He stopped to laugh. "Don't worry about it. It's the least I could do." Shinobu looked away from him and went back to picking up the dishes. Once she had them all she went into the kitchen and began to wash them. Rin finished up the food that was left on his plate, and then brought it to Shinobu.

"Go ahead and put it in the water," Shinobu told him. He did as she said and slipped his plate into the sink. When he turned around, he nearly knocked Naru over. She was standing right behind him, and he had run into her shoulder. She started to fall backwards, and out of instinct, Rin reached out to grab her. He reached out and grabbed her arm. He pulled her back up to her feet, and now she had fallen forward towards him. She landed in his chest, but quickly pushed herself away.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled.

"S-sorry! You were falling, and I didn't know what to do, and I just reached out and-" before he could finish she had brought her fist back, and let it go. Rin's face braced for impact as her fist closed in. It connected with enough force to send him flying backwards, causing him to crash into Shinobu. The plate she was washing fell back into the sink, but the water that was on it fell onto her as she fell down on top of Rin. Rin opened his eyes after he hit the ground to find himself staring at Shinobu's chest that was wet with water. Rin blushed and lifted her off of him.

"I'm sorry!" He yelled. Shinobu shrieked as she looked down at her shirt and saw that she was covered in water. The scream caused Motoko to come running into the kitchen. The scene she saw was Naru with her fist held out, Shinobu blushing out of embarrassment and a wet shirt, and Rin blushing still holding onto Shinobu.

"You! I knew you couldn't be trusted!" Motoko yelled as she unsheathed her sword. Rin backed himself into the corner of the kitchen, but it wasn't until afterwards that he realized that was a bad idea. Motoko came charging at him with her sword.

"Motoko wait!" Naru yelled lashing out after her. Motoko acted like she didn't hear anything, and kept charging. Rin closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable. He opened his eyes when he heard a clanking sound. When he opened them he saw that somebody was standing in front of him, clashing swords with Motoko.

"Who the..?" Motoko mumbled in confusion. Naru and Shinobu gasped as well.

"You can't go one day without almost dying? One day?" The voice said. Rin knew the voice.

"Playmaker?" He asked confused as well.

"Who?" The girls asked. Rin walked towards him.

"What are-" he was cut off.

"Just lending a hand," He smiled as she pushed his sword forward, catching Motoko off guard and causing her to lose her balance. He quickly turned around and winked at Rin while smiling. He snapped his fingers as he came to a stop, and the same blinding light as always appeared.

After a few seconds, Rin opened his eyes. He was standing behind Shinobu with his plate from breakfast in his hand.

"Go ahead and put it in the water," Shinobu told him. Her voice snapped him out of his daze, and he looked at the plate in his hand. He stared at it for a few seconds, but then he heard Naru's voice.

"Come on, we don't have all day," She said sarcastically. He turned around to find Naru standing there.

"Where's Motoko?" He asked looking around. Naru looked around too.

"She left earlier remember?" Naru replied. Rin slowly put his dish in the sink and carefully turned around, making sure not to run into Naru. He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, where Motoko was sitting on the couch.

"Motoko?" He asked out loud. She looked at him and glared.

"What do you want?" She asked boldly. Rin then realized he had spoken out loud.

"Oh, it's nothing, just thinking to myself," He tried to sound happy and smile but Motoko saw right through it. She squeezed her sword as she spoke again.

"What do you mean by that?" Her voice was now deeper and intimidating. Rin tried to think quickly about what to say, he didn't want to have another scene. She stood up off the couch and started to walk towards him.

"I- uh- well you see," Rin couldn't find any words and soon she had him backed against the wall.

"Speak up Tsuchimi!" Motoko had her sword drawn now. Rin quickly bolted for the kitchen, Motoko was going to chase after him, but decided against it. Rin ran back into the kitchen, and nearly ran into Naru. He stopped himself quickly, which caused him to lose his balance and fall on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Naru asked him. She was kneeling by his side, awaiting his answer. He put his hand on his head and stood back up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a scratch," He smiled at her, even though he was in pain. He started to make his way outside as he continued to speak. "I think I'm going to test out the hot spring while I wait for evening to come. There's nobody in there right now is there?" Naru walked outside and looked around the hot spring.

"Nope, there's nobody out here. You're good to go," Naru motioned him to come outside. He walked towards her and looked at the hot spring. The steam that was coming off of it looked very inviting.

"Thanks Naru. I'll probably spend most of the day here, come get me when you guys are ready to leave." Naru nodded her head.

"Okay," She said smiling. She turned away and went back into the house. Rin walked towards the water and took one more look at it. He inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Relaxation here I come!" He went and grabbed a towel from inside, and then took off his clothes, wrapping himself in the towel. He then slipped into the relaxing hot water, and rested against the wall. He began to feel himself melting into the water as he started to slide under so only his head was showing. He put his mouth under the water and began to blow bubbles.

"This water feels great," He heard a voice say. Rin jumped back in the water and planted himself against the farthest wall. He sighed when he realized who was in the water with him.

"You scared me half to death…" Rin sighed as he moved back to where he was. "You really need to stop coming out of nowhere." Rin laughed as he looked at The Playmaker. He laughed as well.

"Maybe you just need to start expecting me more often," The Playmaker joked as he closed his eyes and slid down in the water.

"Hey, what was all that stuff about earlier?" Rin asked him. He opened one eye and smiled.

"I already told you. Just helping out."

"What did you do though? After you left, it was like nothing happened."

"Because it didn't happen." Rin cocked his head in confusion.

"It didn't happen?"

"Come on Rin, I know you're a smart kid." Rin took a second to think, and then he spoke.

"Did you reverse time?"

"Bingo."

"But wait, if you can reverse time, can't you reverse this entire situation? Make it so that I can go back to my world?" The Playmaker sighed as he began to explain.

"I already told you. I can't send you back until you realize why you switched lives. Even if I wanted too I can't move time back that far, I don't have that kind of power." Rin was confused. He tilted his head as he looked at The Playmaker.

"If you don't have that kind of power how did we end up in this situation in the first place?"

"Okay, I'll see if I can explain this. I didn't just switch you guys from one world to another, I had to pull you both to my dimension, and from there put you in each other's world. I can't switch two dimensions just like that, I can reverse time in one dimension as much as I want, but trying to do it simultaneously in two dimensions is beyond my power."

"So then, how do you plan on switching us back once we do realize why we switched?" The Playmaker adjusted himself so that he was comfortable and then started to speak again.

"Okay… try to follow as best you can. To get through each dimension there needs to be an access portal that makes travel possible. These portals, if you will, come closed when something is taken out of a dimension that is supposed to be there, but there's usually a way to get it back open. I can't send you back because I don't know how to open it, but when both you and Keitaro figure out why you were switched, something will happen. Whatever happens will open up the portal again, and then I can send you back. You follow?" Rin thought carefully about what The Playmaker had said, and then nodded his head.

"Yeah, I follow. But how will you know when we've both realized it?" The Playmaker stood up out of the water and looked at Rin.

"Simple. I'll be there," The Playmaker let out a smile and then disappeared with a snap of his fingers. This was the first time Rin wasn't blinded by a light, he saw The Playmaker just vanish into thin air. Not knowing what to make of what had just happened, he continued to sit in the hot spring, and stare into the sky. He sat in silence, but then, the sound of a small, soft, feint voice called out to him.

"Rin…" Rin opened his eyes and quickly sat up straight. He looked around but he didn't see anybody. He knew whose voice it was, but it didn't make sense. Was he hearing things? Maybe he's thinking too hard and starting to lose it. No, he was sure of the voice he had heard. He could never forget that voice…


	8. Chapter 8 To the beach!

Chapter eight

To the beach!

"Keitarooooo!" A voice yelled. Keitaro rolled over in the bed, and struggled to open his eyes. He tried to identify the voice, but it was too early in the morning for his brain to think. He mumbled something, but soon slouched back over and fell asleep again.

"Keitaro!" The voice yelled again. This time it was louder and coming from his room. He managed to sit himself up on the bed and put on his glasses. His vision was blurry at first, but soon it became clear. Sia was standing in front of the door in a bright pink long sleeve shirt and a short black skirt. She was leaning on the door looking at Keitaro.

"Sia?" He mumbled nearly in awe. He wasn't used to this kind of beauty staring him in the face so early in the morning. Sia smiled and ran into the room, jumping on Keitaro's bed.

"Wake up sleepy head! Kaede and Asa are making breakfast downstairs and you're the only one not down there!" Sia was so cheerful. The way she sat there and smiled, it was soothing. She stood up from the edge of the bed, and went back to the door. "The bathroom is down the hall, across from my room if you need to wash up. When you're done, just come down stairs and into the kitchen." She left the room and went back down stairs. Keitaro heard the footsteps of her leaving, and then he too left the room. He made his way to the bathroom, but then realized once he was in there he had no clean clothes to change into.

"That's right… I don't' have any clothes…" He sighed as he walked up to the shower. "I don't have a swimsuit either… guess I'll just have to put these back on and just go buy some clothes later. I'm in a house full of girls, surly they can take me someplace to get new clothes." He started running the water for the shower, and when the temperature was just right, he got in. He wasn't in there for long, but long enough to wash up. When he was done, he got dressed and made his way down stairs and into the kitchen. When he stepped inside, he felt like he was stepping into heaven. Asa and Kaede were hovering around the stove, putting the final touches on the food, while Nerine, Sia, and Primula were all around the sink. Nerine was washing the dishes, Primula was drying them, and Sia was putting them away. The kings of the Gods and Devils were already at the table, anxiously awaiting the meal that was being cooked.

"Good morning boy!" Shin yelled as Keitaro walked into the room. Shin slapped him on the back, causing him to stumble forward. All the girls paused and looked at Keitaro.

"Good morning!" They all yelled.

"Uh, good morning ladies!" Keitaro said to them. Keitaro stood for a second in the middle of the room, unsure of where to go, but soon Shin called out to him.

"Keitaro, come and take a seat!" He yelled pulling out the chair that was next to him. Keitaro accepted the offer, and took a seat. "So how are you on this fine day?" He asked cheerfully.

"I'm not used to everybody being this lively so early in the morning. Sure we had breakfast back home, but it was usually really quiet and over quickly. Here, everybody is so energetic and cheerful, it's really nice." Shin laughed as he finished his statement.

"Ha! Well this is something you should get used too. These fine ladies are always like this, especially my Sia, who by the way is now on the market again! So how about it, would you like to become the next king of the Go-" his sentence was cut short.

"DAD!" Sia yelled, throwing one of the pans she had in her hand at him. It hit him right in the face, and with enough force to knock him out of his chair. The king of Devils laughed and then spoke.

"Tough luck Shin, looks like my Nerine is going to be the bride." The sound of a plate breaking caused him to turn his head.

"Father…" Nerine growled.

"May I?" Sia asked her. Nerine nodded her head, and handed her another pan. The king of Devils tried to move but wasn't fast enough. Sia grabbed the pan from Nerine, and threw it right at him. He too, was knocked out of his chair. Both kings regained the place in their chair, and rubbed their faces.

"Breakfast is ready!" Kaede yelled. All eyes were now on the enormous amount of food that was placed on the counters near the oven. There were pancakes, and waffles, and eggs, and bacon, pretty much anything you could ever want for breakfast was on this counter. Wasting no time, both kings quickly grabbed a plate and started piling on the food. Nerine and Sia sighed, and then walked towards the table. Sia handed Keitaro a plate and invited him to the counter with her. Keitaro stood up out of the chair and joined Sia at the counter. He piled on a few pancakes, and then added some bacon. He didn't want to pig out too much, so that was all he grabbed. He sat back down at the table, this time sitting next to Sia rather than her father. Once everybody was there, they began to eat.

"Asa, did you remember to bring the salads for the picnic?" Kaede asked. Asa nodded her head.

"Yeah they should be in the fridge towards the bottom. Did you remember the bags for the sandwiches?" Kaede stopped chewing, and shifted her eyes from left to right. Everybody laughed as Kaede admitted she forgot.

"I knew I was forgetting something… after breakfast I'll run home and grab them real quick, I need to grab some sunscreen anyways."

"Oh yeah! I need to get mine too, is it okay if I go back with you Kaede?" Nerine asked embarrassed.

"Of course. It'll be nice to have company, what about you Rimu? Do you want to come?" Kaede turned to Primula who was eating a piece of bacon.

"No thanks, I think I'll stay here and wait." Primula's words were so soft and quiet, but she looked like she was enjoying herself.

"I'll go!" Sia yelled. Kaede smiled at her, and then spoke,

"Anybody else?" Asa and Keitaro shook their heads.

"No thanks, I think I would just like to sit after cooking all morning if that's okay with you guys," Asa said.

"And I would like to get situated here a little more before we leave. Oh, by the way, since I showed up here without warning, I don't have any clothes to wear, including a swim suit, so do you think we could go shopping somewhere for clothes? I have no idea where to go otherwise I'd do it by myself," Keitaro said.

"Sure! I think that would be fun!" Sia yelled happily. The other girls joined her in agreement.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. So when should we go?" Keitaro asked.

"Well, we should probably get your swimsuit before we go swimming," Asa laughed. Everybody else laughed as well.

"We could go afterwards if you want. Maybe we can leave the beach a little earlier, that way we have time to get you some clothes before dinner." Sia suggested.

"That would work, as long as we're done in time for dinner," Kaede said. Nerine and Asa nodded in agreement.

"How does that sound to you Primula?" Keitaro asked her. Primula looked at him with her crystal blue eyes, her stare locked onto Keitaro's face. Keitaro was startled at first, because he had seen this look before. Those eyes were familiar.

"Keitaro?" Sia asked nudging him. He didn't respond to her, or her touch. "Keitaro!" She nudged him again, this time a little harder. This time he flinched and snapped back to reality.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought," He laughed trying to change the subject. "So then after the beach we go shopping?"

"Well we're waiting on Primula to give an answer still."

"She already said that she wants to go though." Sia looked at him, and then at Primula.

"Primula didn't say anything." Sia spoke in a confused voice. Keitaro looked at her confused as well.

"But…" Keitaro mumbled.

"Do you want to go Primula?" Kaede asked her. Primula bashfully nodded her head. Keitaro was confused still, but he tried to push it from his mind.

"So it's settled! We'll go shopping today after we get done at the beach!" He smiled and looked around. Everybody smiled back, and then they all went back to eating. The rest of breakfast went by quickly, and soon everybody had an empty plate.

"That was delicious, thank you" Keitaro said. Asa and Kaede smiled at him. Sia picked up everybody's plate and set them next to the sink.

"Since the girls set up breakfast, I vote the guys clean up. Actually, Keitaro doesn't have to. It's the parent's job today!"

"Sia!" The kings of the Gods and Devils whined.

"I agree," Nerine said. The kings hung their head because they knew they had no chance of arguing against them.

"Next time think before you decide to say something stupid." And with that Sia and Nerine left the room and went to the living room. The others soon joined them, laughing about the situation that had just happened. The kings slowly approached the sink and started the dishes.

"How do we let this happen…" Shin sighed as he began to clean.

"Because we love them…perhaps too much…" They both shared a small laugh as they kept cleaning.

Meanwhile, out in the living room, Kaede, Nerine, and Sia gathered around the door. They slipped on their shoes and got ready to leave.

"We shouldn't be more than a few minutes. Hey Keitaro, I think Rin has a pair of extra swim trunks at the house if you want me to pick them up," Kaede offered as she looked to Keitaro.

"If it's not a problem that would be great! It'll save us an extra trip to a store," Keitaro replied.

"Alright I'll pick them up," Kaede paused to walk out the door with Nerine and Sia. "We'll be back in a few minutes," She said closing the door. Keitaro waved goodbye and then walked towards the couch. He took a seat and slouched down, immediately becoming comfortable. Asa took a seat on the couch across from him, and she too became comfortable. Keitaro looked at her, and then noticed something.

"Hey Asa, can I ask you something?" He asked. Asa looked at him with a smile.

"Shoot," She replied.

"Your ribbon, it's different from yesterday. Do you always change it?" Asa was surprised that he actually noticed. She placed her hands on the ribbon that was in her hair and she smiled.

"It was a gift," She said softly. Keitaro slid back up on the couch and looked her in the eyes.

"From Rin?" Asa looked back at him, and then down to the floor. She nodded her head.

"Yes, how'd you know?"

"I was there when he picked it out." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I met this 'Playmaker' guy that supposedly started all of this. He seemed like a nice guy, but I'm still not sure if I believe everything he said. I mean, it is really weird that he just showed up in my room without opening any doors or anything, but I don't know, it just doesn't seem possible." Keitaro adjusted himself on the couch.

"What exactly did he tell you?"

"He didn't say much; just that he was the one that started this. That was pretty much it, although he did tell me that once you both realize why you switched he could switch everything back."

"I see… so that was all he told you?"

"Yes. Why? I'm sure there's a lot more, but how much more?"

"Well I can't really discuss a lot of it with you, because if I do then there's no going back for Rin or myself. I do think I can tell you how he got into your room, if you promise not to tell anybody about this conversation."

"Promise."

"The Playmaker is very unique. He is the embodiment of time and space, and he can control both which is how Rin and I switched lives. He doesn't know how he came to be in this world, or why, all he knows is that he has these special powers that allow him to manipulate time and space. He can literally be everywhere at once. He usually shows up as a hologram, I don't think I've seen his real body yet, but I assume they all look the same." Asa thought about what Keitaro had said.

"That's weird…"

"I know it's really hard to believe, but it's the truth."

"Not that… when he showed up in my room to give me the ribbon, I tried to punch him at first because I thought he was like a burglar or something, but he blocked it."

"Well why wouldn't he?"

"If he was a hologram why would he?" Keitaro leaned up in his seat and puzzled that thought around in his head.

"We're back!" Kaede yelled, opening the front door. The sound of the door opening broke the thought process of Keitaro.

"That didn't take long," Keitaro said. Kaede slipped off her shoes, and took a seat next to Asa. Sia and Nerine were a few steps behind Kaede, but eventually they took entered the house. Sia took a seat next to Keitaro, and Nerine sat next to Sia. Kaede looked around and then asked,

"Where's Rimu?" Keitaro had forgotten that Primula was still there.

"I'm not sure. She might be in the kitchen still," Keitaro replied.

"Primula!" Asa shouted. A few seconds went by, but soon enough Primula stuck out her head from around the kitchen corner.

"Yes?" She asked innocently.

"Come sit with us!" Sia yelled. Primula walked out of the kitchen, and took a seat next to Kaede.

"Oh! Here Keitaro, before I forget," Kaede said, going through her bag. She pulled out a pair of swim trunks and threw them to Keitaro.

"Thank you Kaede," Keitaro said.

"Not a problem," Kaede replied.

"So what's the game plan?" Keitaro asked.

"Well it is pretty early still, but we can leave now if everybody wants. We can beat the crowd and get set up on the beach and get a good spot," Asa suggested. Keitaro nodded his head.

"That sounds like a good idea. Anybody disagree?"

"I think it sounds like a good idea, but the food… even if we keep it in a cooler it'll be sitting in the sun all day until lunch. Something is bound to spoil, and salads taste different when they're warm, at least to me they do," Sia replied. Keitaro thought for a second and then spoke again.

"Well what if we send half the group now, and then the second half can come up around noon and bring the lunch? That way it stays cold and fresh, and we can get a good spot on the beach."

"That's a good idea, we could do that," Sia said.

"I'm fine with that," Nerine said. Everyone else agreed as well.

"So, who wants to go now, and who wants to go later?" Keitaro asked.

"I'll go now, I don't have a problem with it," Asa replied.

"I'll go too," Primula replied as well.

"I think I'll stay here," Nerine said.

"I think I will too," Kaede said.

"I'll stay too. Nerine and I will have to keep our fathers away from the food I'm sure." Sia was the last person to answer.

"Well then I'll go with Asa and Primula to the beach and we'll wait for all of you there," Keitaro said. Keitaro, Asa, and Primula got up from where they were sitting and got ready to leave. Keitaro went into the bathroom and changed into the swim trunks ahead of time, that way he could watch their stuff while Asa and Primula got changed at the beach. Nerine and Kaede started making sure that they had everything they wanted to bring, and that all the food was ready to go. Sia was explaining the plan to her and Nerine's fathers, and Asa and Primula gathered everything by the door. When Keitaro was dressed, he joined them at the door. He picked up a bag that had some towels in it, and then waved goodbye to the girls that were staying behind.

He walked out the door, and waited for Asa to lead the way.

"You know how to get there right?" Keitaro asked her.

"Of course! It isn't too far away. Just stick with me and we'll be there in no time," Asa smiled as she started to walk. Keitaro and Primula followed closely behind her. Keitaro looked around admiring the scenery, and absorbing all of the new things.

"Did you know that man Keitaro?" Primula asked. Keitaro stopped walking for a second to think. He forgot all about asking Primula about that night. Her question came out of nowhere and took him by surprise.

"Wh- what man Primula?" Keitaro tried to avoid the subject. Asa turned her head to listen.

"The man from the other night. The one that was in the house." Her voice was so soft and quiet, but everything she said had a lot of weight behind it. Even though she spoke quiet, it was a very straight forward voice. Asa now stopped walking, as did Keitaro and Primula.

"Well, you could say that…"

"Who is she talking about Keitaro?" Asa asked, even though she already knew. Keitaro looked at her and she could read the answer off of his face. "It was him, wasn't it?" Her voice lost strength as she spoke.

"Yes…" Keitaro looked away from her.

"Who was he?" Primula asked. Primula went to walk towards Keitaro, but she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. It was The Playmaker, but the words he spoke left everybody speechless.

"You could say… I'm family…"


	9. Chapter 9 Project Zero

Chapter nine

Project Zero

After disappearing from the hot springs, The Playmaker went back to his realm to think about some things. He sat down in his chair and started to think. The only thing he was thinking about was Primula. This girl peaked his interest, and she had good reason too. What was up with her? Why could she walk through time? Why didn't he know anything about her? Things didn't add up. The Playmaker couldn't find an answer, so he decided it was time to make some people talk. He sat back up, and snapped his fingers. He had a very determined look on his face as he disappeared in a white flash. He reappeared in the house Primula was staying at. He looked around, and determined that he had appeared in her room. He walked up to her bed and looked at the stuffed cat that was leaning against the backboard of the bed. The flashback of her giving him a stuffed cat popped into his mind.

"_She must like cats,_" he thought to himself. He looked around the room again, but nothing really stood out. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He grunted and left her room.

"It seems I have to go to the root of this. I was hoping I wouldn't have to confront those two again, but it seems I don't have a choice." He spoke out loud as he looked out a window at the end of the hallway. He was looking at Sia's house. He took a step and vanished. When he planted his feet again he was in the kitchen of Sia's house. He was standing on the far side of the kitchen, and after a few seconds he locked eyes with Shin. Shin dropped the dish he was washing as their eyes met. Something startled him though, even though he let go of the dish, it was hovering in the air.

"Time stop…" Shin mumbled. He turned his body towards The Playmaker. The king of Devils was aware of his presence as well. He too faced towards him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Shin spoke. "Something wrong?" He asked in a serious voice. The Playmaker leaned on the wall closest to him and then answered.

"I have a few questions is all."

"They must be important for you to show up here now, and to stop time while you're at it."

"Tell me about Primula." The Playmaker didn't ask, he demanded. Shin got a surprised look on his face for a second, and then looked away towards the king of Devils.

"Why do you want to know about our dear Primula?" The king of Devils asked cautiously.

"The better question is why don't I know about her. I know everything there is to know, but I've never heard of this girl. There are no records of birth, no reports of creation, no nothing. She got here somehow and you know something I don't. That doesn't sit well with me." The Playmaker pushed himself off the wall and started walking towards the Kings. They each took a step backwards, and looked at each other. The king of Devils was the one to speak first.

"I guess it can't hurt to tell you. Primula is a homunculus, created by both the Gods and the Devils. She was created to be the perfect balance between both realms. She is the third homunculus, and so far, the most successful. She came to the human realm to find Rin, and ever since she's stayed with Kaede at her house. When she was created though, we had to make room for all the magic inside her, so she lost the ability to have emotions. But slowly she's learning them from being here. She's also learning to use her magic quite well too." The Playmaker had a displeased look on his face even after the explanation.

"That doesn't tell me why she can time walk. Only people I allow should be able to move when I stop time." His voice was becoming agitated.

"She does have a lot of magic inside of her, maybe that's why. Maybe the magic is protecting her-" The king of Devils didn't get to finish his sentence. The Playmaker picked him up by his collar and pinned him against the kitchen counter. The king of Gods went to help, but his feet wouldn't move, they were frozen in time.

"Stop!" Shin yelled. The Playmaker was pissed, and his eyes started to fade from their normal blue, to a golden amber color. "_Those eyes!_" Shin thought.

"Enough dancing around my questions! I want answers, and I want them now!" He tightened his grip.

"I- I don't know what to tell you! All I have are hypotheses!" The king of Devils pleaded but to no avail. The Playmaker's eyes were now glowing that golden color. The king of Devils body stopped struggling the second he locked eyes with The Playmaker. His arms fell limp, and his legs couldn't move.

"Stop!" Shin yelled. The Playmaker showed no intention of stopping. The king of Devils started to fade in and out of consciousness, opening and closing his eyes. "Stop! Fine! I'll tell you everything, if you let him go. Let him go and freeze time over him, so it's just you and I." The king of the God's voice fell quiet, and his face showed sadness. The Playmaker looked towards him, and then back at the king of Devils. He let go, and then walked towards the king of the Gods. His eyes faded back from the golden color to blue.

"Those eyes of yours…they're amazing aren't they?" The Playmaker was a little surprised by the question.

"What do you know about my eyes?" He asked in a serious tone.

"When they're blue you can read minds, but when they're gold… you can take them away. Completely destroy one's mind, and bend it to your will. Put in false information, take out truthful, anything you please." The Playmaker was very curious now.

"How do you know that?"

"When he told you that Primula was the most successful homunculus…he lied. The most successful, is you." The Playmaker stepped back, his face filled with shock. His eyes were shaking, and his body was still.

"What?" He asked very quietly. The king of God's looked away with a sad look on his face.

"After losing the first two homunculus, we couldn't afford to have another one go wrong. We pooled the most resources and funds from both the worlds of Gods and Demons as we could without getting caught. What we were going to do was off the records, and the only people who knew about it were the ones working on the project."

"Project?"

"Project Zero was what we called it. We took the errors of our previous mistakes into consideration, and that's how the project started. We would make a body that intentionally couldn't handle the amount of magic that was given to it. That body we used, was you…" He paused for a second before continuing. The Playmaker was stunned by those words. "That excess magic would then be absorbed by the special chamber you were created in. From there the energy would be transferred to another homunculus in the adjacent chamber. That homunculus's body would be built to absorb a lot of magic, thus allowing us to create two homunculus at once. That way we could do studies faster, and more accurate. Ultimately creating twin homunculus one of which could excel in feats that no ordinary person could do, and one that had powers that were unimaginable…" Shin's voice was now sadder than before. The Playmaker stepped back towards him.

"What happened?" He asked softly.

"The magic that was to be given to you was set at a certain amount. Enough so that it could drain out of you, and into the new homunculus without either of you getting overloaded. Once your body reached a limit it could handle, the magic would stop draining from you and we could work on shaping the other homunculus."

"Sounds like a solid plan. What went wrong?"  
"We had just stared the process, filling your body up with an enormous amount of magic. Everything went fine, the draining process was starting, all levels were normal, but then the one thing we didn't plan on, or ever see coming happened…" Shin's eyes hung low as he looked away and to the ground. The Playmaker walked up so he was only a few inches away.

"What happened?" He asked in a curious, but sympathetic voice. The king of Gods looked to him, and then gave a response.

"You woke up." The Playmaker's eyes shot open. "Only about thirty percent of your excess magic had been drained, so your body couldn't handle it. You struggled to get free, and soon broke out of the straps that kept you in the chamber. We didn't know what to do, and before we could think of anything the excess magic started filling your chamber. Unable to drain from a conscious body, the magic couldn't transfer. It kept building and building, it was going at an incredible rate. That's when your eyes changed. They switched to a golden amber color and they stared right at me. The look you gave me was…indescribable. A look of desperation, mixed with a look of hatred. And with one blink, a shockwave of magic was sent out, hitting everybody in the lab. One by one the scientists fell to the ground, and in mere seconds I could feel you poking inside by head. I could hardly stand, but before you could kill me, the chamber engulfed you in magic. Your hold was broken instantly, and I watched as it looked like the chamber was going to explode. I was right. The chamber exploded. When it exploded I was blinded by a white light, but when I opened my eyes, you were gone. I stood up and looked around, and soon the other scientist stood up looking around in confusion. You didn't kill anybody, nor had any intention too. You were erasing our minds, but before you got to mine, you were disrupted by the blast-" The Playmaker stopped him there.

"Why don't I remember any of this?! If I was conscious at the time and I did all this I should have some kind of memory! And even if I didn't I could at least go back in time and learn about it!"

"Even I don't know the real answer. I assume the blast was so intense it might have wiped your memory as well."

"And the way it sounds, my twin was supposed to have this power that I have! Why do I have it then?"  
"The process never finished. You two flipped roles, you became the one that had the power. At the time we had no idea that the power would be controlling time and space, you should be dead. The fact that your body is able to handle that much magic is incredible, but-"

"Where is my twin anyways?! You didn't say anything about them dying, so where are they?!"

"You know the answer already. Think about it." The Playmaker looked him in the eyes, and then stepped back with shaky eyes. "I assume you figured it out." Finally things started to make sense. But what are the odds?

"I've been traveling through dimensions my entire life, and you're telling me I just happen to come to the dimension and meet the person who created me?! And that I have a sister!"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later! Eventually you would find us; it just so happens that now is that time."

"Let me tell you something Shin," The Playmaker moved towards the king of the Gods quickly and violently. "You have no idea what it's like to grow up without anybody! Nobody to answer anything, no family or anything. That girl had a brother out there and you didn't tell her?! Who cares if she couldn't meet me, the fact of at least knowing you have family out there can do wonders for the mind!"

"You don't think I know that! But how could I? How could I tell her that she has a twin brother that to my knowledge at the time was dead! I didn't know you were alive until quite sometime after the incident. As far as I knew you were dead! She was better off not knowing about any of it…" The Playmaker turned from him, and walked away. He rose up his fingers, but before he snapped them, he looked back at him.

"It's called hope Shin." After he spoke he snapped his fingers. A shockwave was sent out from where he left, causing things to reset themselves. Time was being reversed right in front of the king of the God's eyes. Even his body was starting to move on its own, reverting back to the sink where he was washing dishes. In an instant time started to move again.

"..Right Shin?" The king of Devils asked. He was finishing drying the dishes with a smile on his face. Of course, he didn't remember anything.

"What was that? Sorry I was lost in thought," The king of Gods replied smirking a little.

"You? Thinking? Like with your brain? My my! There's a first for everything I suppose," The king of Devils laughed as did the king of the Gods. Shin kept thinking about the words The Playmaker left him with. With those words echoing in his head, he looked out the window, and up into the clear blue sky.

The Playmaker still in shock from what had just happened, was back in his realm. He was sitting in his chair.

"_I have a sister…_" He kept repeating those words inside his head. He had family, a very small family, but he had one. "_Now, the real question is, how do I go about this? If she really is my sister, and if what Shin was saying is true…_" He took a deep breath in, and then let it out slowly. "Looks like I'll need to pull the guys together, one more time. If what I'm thinking is right, I'll need some time to plan some things. Hopefully by then they will have figured out why they switched lives, and I can put them back. Now then, I suppose I should go and find her." He slowly stood up from his chair. He took another deep breath in and out, and then snapped his fingers. He appeared a few feet behind Asa, Keitaro, and Primula. He couldn't have come at a better time. He waited to make his presence known as he listened to their conversation.

"Who is she talking about Keitaro?" Asa asked, even though she already knew. Keitaro looked at her and she could read the answer off of his face. "It was him, wasn't it?" Her voice lost strength as she spoke.

"Yes…" Keitaro looked away from her.

"Who was he?" Primula asked. As soon as she asked that, The Playmaker made his move. He walked up behind her, and put his hand on her shoulder. His spoke quietly, and softly.

"You could say… I'm family…"


	10. Final Chapter Time Forgotten

Hey guys, this will be the final chapter of this series! It'll start with Rin, and it will end with Rin. Please leave a review after you've finished and let me know what you think! Also, I've had thoughts of continuing The Playmaker into a new story/stories. So make sure too read on after the ending to see a sneak peek into the next anime that will fall victim to The Playmaker!

Chapter ten

Time forgotten

"…Rin," The voice echoed again. Rin slowly stood up from the hot springs, still looking around to see if he could pinpoint where the voice was coming from. He looked and looked, but nobody was there, the voice just bounced around like an echo in a cave.

"Rin…" This time the voice had changed. He knew both of the voices, but only one of them he could believe.

"Playmaker…?" He asked confused.

"You can hear me?"

"Yes, but… I don't see you?" As he said that, something had appeared in front of him. It was a hole, just floating there in the air. He could see through it, and on the other side, stood The Playmaker. He looked different, his hair had changed to a dark silver color, and his eyes were glowing an intense blue, much different than what he had seen before. Rin continued to look, when he saw a girl with twin sliver pigtails standing behind him. He knew who it was, but he couldn't believe it.

"…Primula?" He asked quietly, still not sure if he could believe what he was seeing. Her eyes had the same glow as The Playmakers, and their hair was the same color. She had a light blue aura surrounding her body.

"Primula, do it." The Playmaker told her. She nodded her head, and closed her eyes. She shot them back open a few seconds later, and sent out a shockwave of magic. The magic hit Rin, and pulled him through the hole. Once he was through, the hole closed behind him.

"Here," The Playmaker said, extending out a pair of clothes for Rin. Rin looked at him, and took the clothes.

"What is going on? You were JUST here, and now you're back, and with-" He turned to Primula who was standing on the other side of him. He ran to her, and embraced her in a hug. "Primula…" He said softly, gently stroking the back of her head. Primula returned the hug, and then pulled away from him. The Playmaker walked up to Rin, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I can explain later, but right now we have an emergency." The Playmakers words were sincere, but his voice was calm. Again Rin asked,

"What's going on?"

"It's Asa…" Primula muttered quietly. Rin's eyes shot open as he turned to The Playmaker, who was nodding his head in confirmation.

"I'll explain on the way, but right now I need you to get dressed so we can leave."

"Leave?"

"Just get dressed." The Playmaker snapped back at him, giving him a sharp glare. He grabbed Primula, and they turned around so Rin could get dressed. Rin slipped on the shirt and pants he was given, and then walked towards them.

"Okay, I'm dressed, now can you tell me-" Before he could finish The Playmaker grabbed him by his arm. He tugged him towards him, and kept a firm grip on his arm.

"Ready Primula?" The Playmaker asked. She nodded her head, and then both their eyes began to glow that intense blue color again. Another hole slowly started to open in front of them, and on the other side was Rin's world. When it was as open as it could get, The Playmaker tossed Rin through the hole. He collided with it, not being able to pass through it at first, but he felt something starting to form around him. It was the same blue aura that was around Primula. Once his body was encased with this aura, it started to slip through the hole. The Playmaker took hold of Primula's hand and jumped through the hole after Rin. The hole closed behind them, and they appeared in the park that Rin had often passed by, and where he and Nerine first met. It was night time out, and the moon was shining brightly in the sky. The stars let off slight twinkles in the clear sky, and the wind was nowhere to be found. Rin took in a few deep breaths when they arrived; I guess this sudden time warp was too much for him.

"Can you please tell me what's going on now?" Rin asked, wheezing his way through the sentence.

"Asa is in the hospital, and her health is deteriorating quickly… the incident only happened recently, and caught everybody off guard. She needs you Rin, you're the only one who can save her." The Playmaker looked into Rin's eyes the entire time he spoke. Rin's eyes were wide, and were shaking.

"Why didn't you tell me this a few minutes ago when you were at the hot springs?! Why did you wait until now!" Rin yelled furiously.

"It's funny how fast time fly's when you're in control…" The Playmaker muttered quietly. "A few minutes ago, I didn't know. The people that are in front of you are from the future, trying to change the past. I can tell you everything later, but now you need to get to the hospital. Room 237, fourth floor. Go!" The Playmaker yelled back at Rin, pointing his finger in the direction of the hospital. Rin looked back at The Playmaker. He was angry, he wanted more questions answered, but he knew he had to go. He couldn't let this happen to Asa. Not again. He turned away from the two siblings, and he bolted towards the hospital. The Playmaker watched as Rin ran away, and soon disappeared out of sight.

"Do you really think this will work?" Primula asked softly, tugging on The Playmaker's shirt. He rested his hand on her head, and looked to her. He smiled softly at her.

"We can only hope… come on. We need to get ready." He turned around, and another hole was opened up. He stepped inside, and Primula soon followed. Before she stepped inside, she took one last look outside, and up at the moon. She watched it for a few seconds, and then stepped inside.

Rin raced down the streets he knew all too well. He was very confused at what was going on, but he didn't really care. He was back in his world, he could ask questions later. The only thing on his mind right now, was Asa. He cut the final corner, and he could see the hospital down the street. He arrived in a matter of minutes, out of breath, but he made it. He ran inside the doors, and rushed passed the front desk. He looked for the elevator, and frantically pushed the 'up' button. It couldn't have moved any slower as he paced himself back and forth impatiently. Finally he heard the 'ding' of the elevator doors opening and he got inside. He hit the fourth floor button, and began his journey up the elevator. He leaned against the rail on the back of the elevator until the doors opened up again. When he arrived on the desired floor, he looked left and right for the set of room numbers. The rooms on the right were rooms 232-245, and that's where he went. He raced down the hallway, flying past the rooms of other patients until he reached room 237. The door was closed, but he quietly pushed it open. He walked inside where he saw somebody standing over the edge of the bed where Asa was lying. He knew those blue eyes all too well, but he was very confused. Hearing the sound of the door open, the blue eyes turned and met Rin's.

"Rin?"

"Playmaker?" They locked eyes for a few seconds. The Playmaker's facial expression was just as Rin's. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing.

"How did you get here?" The Playmaker asked rushing up to him. He pushed him out of the room, and back into the hallway.

"What do you mean how did I get here?! You brought me here!" The Playmaker cocked his head in confusion.

"That's not possible. I can't bring you here, not alone anyways."

"You weren't alone. Primula was with you." Rin studied The Playmakers expression, and then realized that his hair was no longer the dark silver color he had seen earlier. His eyes weren't as intense either.

Lost in confusion, The Playmaker didn't respond.

"You didn't tell me anything except her health is deteriorating quickly, and that I'm the only one that can save her. What's going on? What's wrong with her?" Still not knowing what to say, he only answered what he could.

"From what I've learned, her magic buildup is back, and is happening much quicker than last time. It all came out of nowhere, like something was blocking it up until now. It overwhelmed her body, and she's been in a coma since." He turned his head to look behind him, when he suddenly felt something strike his face. He fell to the ground, and slowly picked himself back up. Rin's body was shaking, and tears were starting to run down his face.

"…Why?" Rin asked quietly. "Why!" He grabbed the Playmaker by the collar of his shirt, and pinned him to the wall. "Everything was just fine until you showed up! This is all your fault!" The Playmaker was slow to respond, but he eventually did. He placed his hands on Rin's arms, but he didn't fight to get free.

"I've been wandering around dimensions all my life and you are the first person to ever land a hit like that." He pushed free of Rin's grip, and walked to the window that was at the end of the hall, only a few steps away. He looked outside, towards the moon. "Maybe you're right. Maybe this is all my fault, but that doesn't change the situation now." The Playmaker spoke softly as he could feel Rin's eyes digging into the back of his head. Rin didn't say anything back; instead he walked back inside Asa's room, and kneeled down next to her. He told hold of her hand, and held it in both of his. He looked at her lying there, with the occasional beep of the heart rate monitor in the background. He remained quiet for a few seconds, but eventually he spoke.

"Asa? It's Rin. I know things have been pretty weird lately, with me just up and leaving like that, but I'm back now. So just open your eyes and we can make this better, like it never happened." Even though he knew she probably couldn't hear him, he continued to speak to her. "We can go back to that amusement park we went to a while ago, and this time it will just be the two of us. Afterward I can take you out to get dinner, anywhere you want to go. We can spend the entire day together, just us." He smiled as he squeezed her hand. He brought his head down to her hand, and kissed it softly.

Meanwhile, outside of the room, The Playmaker continued to look out the window.

"Beautiful night huh?" He jumped a little at the sudden voice. He turned around to see who it was, when he saw himself standing next to him. He looked different though, his hair and eyes were different colors.

"I see why people find that annoying," He laughed. "So you must be…future me. You're the one that brought Rin here right?" He glanced at his future self, who let out a crooked smile.

"I suppose that would be me."

"What's up with the hair? It's all…silver."

"Don't hate on the hair, I think it looks sexy, which means you also think it looks sexy because I am you."

"Don't even start that whole, 'I'm you, you're me' thing. Sometimes I can be a pain in the ass…" They both laughed at the situation.

"So…what is future me doing here?"

"Just observing the night."

"Bullshit. You can't lie to yourself, I can see right through me."

"…Now you're getting me confused…"

"No I'm not. I'm not confused, so therefore you're not confused because you are me."

"Shut up! You're right, we are a pain in the ass…" They laughed again, before his future self put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't overthink it." The Playmaker from the present smiled as he continued to stare at the moon. He went to say something when he heard the sound of a small, yet familiar voice.

"Who are you talking too?" The voice asked softly. The Playmaker turned around to see Primula standing there in her pajamas, holding her stuffed cat.

"Just…myself," He laughed at the irony. "What are you doing here? You should be asleep, it's really late." He felt a tug on his shirt as he went to look back outside. When he looked back, a tear was running down Primula's face.

"Please…save Asa…" She pleaded. Her voice was different as she was struggling against sobs. The Playmaker bent his knees so that he was at eye level with Primula. He pulled her in, and gave her a hug.

"I wish I could but… I just don't know how. I can only keep reversing time to prevent this from happening, but eventually it has to happen…" His voice trailed off as he looked into the sad eyes of Primula.

"Why does this happen? What is making her so sick? I know about her magic, but why did it suddenly resurface without any warning?"

"If I knew that, I could prevent this. It's almost like-" he stopped himself mid-sentence. He smacked himself in the forehead. "Ugh, I'm such an idiot! All this time the answer was so obvious! Primula, do you remember the conversation we had in the street the other day? When I told you that I was your brother?" Primula wiped away the tears in her eyes as she nodded her head.

"Do you remember everything?" She nodded her head again. She was confused as to what he was getting at. He got close to her, and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her deep set blue eyes, much like his own.

"I know I told you that you would have a while to think before making a decision. That I needed your power to be able to fix things but… I was wrong."

Back in Asa's hospital room, Rin was resting his head on her hand, when he felt it twitch. He raised his head slowly, and looked to her face. Her eyes were twitching, but soon they slowly opened.

"Asa..?" He whispered. She moved her eyes, to his, and smiled.

"Rin?" She said quietly. Rin lifted her up from her bed, and pulled her close to him. He held her in an embrace for a few seconds, and then pulled her away.

"How do you feel?" He asked happily, wiping away an attempted tear.

"You're back," She said, avoiding the question. She smiled at him, the happiest smile she's had in a long time.

"Yeah, I'm back. So now you need to hurry up and feel better so we can get out of here," He tried to make the best of the situation, but Asa's smile faded away. Soon tears started to flow down the side of her face.

"I don't think I'm going to make it out of here this time…" She whispered softly, her voice cracking with the sobs.

"Don't talk like that…of course you'll mak-" Asa cut him off.

"Please… don't make this harder Rin… I can feel my body starting to give out, I don't have much time left… I am glad I got to see you though, one last time."

"Asa…" Rin was now shedding tears down his face. Asa brought her face to Rin, and she planted her lips on his. They kissed for a few seconds before she pulled herself away.

"I love you Rin, more than anything in this world." Asa's voice was starting to shake, and her vision was fading away from her. The heart rate monitor showed her heart rate declining.

"I love you too Asa… please… don't leave me!" He was now balling. Her eyes slowly closed as her head fell into Rin's chest. Her heart rate dropped to zero, and the beeping noise had turned into one monotone ring. Rin looked at her face, and tried to shake her body.

"Asa! Asa!" His tears fell off of his face as he tried to deny reality. He held her body close to his. "I'm so sorry Asa! I wasn't there for you when you needed me… I wish I could take it all back… I wish that this never happened!" As he continued to sob, the sound of a familiar voice caught his ear.

"Rin Tsuchimi, your wish, fulfilled…" Rin turned his attention to the door, where there he met the eyes of The Playmaker. His fingers were held up, ready to snap, but his eyes were a color he had never seen before. They were a golden amber color. Rin didn't have time to do anything, before The Playmaker snapped his fingers. A massive pulse was sent out from him, branching out in every direction. Rin could feel his body moving, but everything around him was a blur. He closed his eyes, unsure of what would happen. When he finally felt his body stop moving, he opened them. He was in a room, lying in a bed. The sunlight was beaming through the windows, and lighting up the room. He looked over at the clock that was by his bed.

'7:48 AM'

He continued to look around, when he noticed something. The room he was in, was his own.

"What in the…?" He mumbled to himself confused. He stood up off his bed, and went to step outside, when his door slammed open.

"Goooooood morning Rin!" The voice shouted. Rim jumped backwards to avoid being hit by the door, and when he looked outside, pure happiness and joy engulfed him. Standing on the other side of the door, in a T-shirt and mini skirt, was Asa. He rushed towards her, and lifted her off the ground in an embrace.

"Asa!" He yelled happily. He spun her around in the air, and set her back down inside his room. She giggled at his actions.

"Well looks like somebody ate a bowl of happy flakes this morning!" She laughed her teasing laugh. He pulled her towards him again, and placed a kiss upon her lips. She blushed at the first, but then she kissed back. He pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"I don't know what happened, but I'm not complaining. So, tell me about how much you missed me while I was gone, how was Keitaro, was he nice? He seemed nice," Rin got carried away asking questions, but Asa game him a dumbfounded look.

"Keita-who? When did you leave? Where did you go?" She asked confused. Rin was now confused too, but he decided to avoid the matter.

"Oh nothing. Never mind, it must have just been a dream," Rin laughed awkwardly. Asa smiled at him.

"You're so weird." Asa giggled as she walked back outside. "Come on mister, you've got a day full of plans with your wonderful girlfriend, starting with a walk to my house" She stuck out her tongue as she teased him.

"Well I guess if I have too…" Rin said sarcastically. He walked outside, shutting his door behind him. He walked up next to Asa, and let his fingers intertwine with hers. Rin usually didn't do this, but Asa wasn't going to say anything. They walked down the street, but Rin stopped when he noticed they were walking past the park.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up to you at your house." Asa was curious why he said that, but she figured he had a reason.

"Okay, but don't keep me waiting too long~" she winked at him as she kept walking. As she disappeared around the corner, Rin made his way to the park. He stepped inside, where standing over by the swings, was The Playmaker.

"I was wondering if you'd find me," The Playmaker told him.

"I could spot those eyes a mile away," Rin laughed. The Playmaker laughed as well. Rin then walked up to him, and put his hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. I don't know what you did, but thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it. The answer was so simple I'll be beating myself up about it for weeks," The Playmaker laughed again.

"What do you mean?" The Playmaker explained to him the situation about Primula being his sister, and how he was created.

"You see, I kept thinking that I had to somehow take Primula's power so that I could put everything back in place. I tried multiple times with different solutions each time, but none of them were winning ones. I tried taking her power, but her body was built to control large amounts of magic, and with the sudden decrease, her body couldn't adjust, and she would die. I tried combining our power, but she didn't have enough experience to try and control two dimensions at once. I tried doing it myself and failed horribly. I was out of options, and I was standing in her room, thinking of more ways to try and save her, and that's when you found me."

"So…it wasn't a dream then, huh?"

"I'm afraid not."

"But then, what happened? Something went right because as far as I know, everybody is still alive."

"I was under the impression that Primula and I were the only ones capable of producing such strong magic, thus all my options only included us two…but what I failed to consider was the problem. The entire reason Asa was in the hospital was BECAUSE she had too much magic. Her body is human, so the decrease in magic wouldn't harm her at all. I was able to take the magic from her body, and combine it with my own. Since her mother is a homunculus like me, the magic blended without problems. I had considered this with Nerine and Sia, but their magic isn't like mine, and it would be way too risky to try." Rin smiled as he listened to The Playmaker speak.

"So then, does she have magic in her body now? Will that situation occur again?"

"She has a little left, enough to where she'll never know that I took it, but just the right amount that her body can handle it. It shouldn't ever get out of hand again."

"How did you get the magic out of her?"

"Some things…are better left unsaid." Rin looked at The Playmaker, very curious as to what he did, but the more he thought about it, the less he really cared. Instead of dwelling on it, he thanked him.

"Thank you again, really. I- I don't know what I would've done if-"

"Don't worry about it. It's over now, and things get can back to normal for you."

"Oh, speaking of that, what happened to Keitaro? Did he make it back okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. I just checked in on him not too long ago. Everybody is happy he's back, including the really violent one…"

"Because that really narrows it down," Rin joked. The Playmaker laughed before responding.

"The one that he likes, or loves or whatever their situation is. Sometime you're going to have to come to my realm and watch these two bicker back and forth. Freaking hilarious."

"Ha ha, I'll take you up on that sometime. Oh, that reminds me, nobody remembers anything right?"

"Nobody except me, you, Keitaro, and Primula."

"That's probably for the best. It'll save me a lot of explaining too." The Playmaker nodded his head, and walked towards Rin.

"You should get going, don't want to keep your lady friend waiting too long," The Playmaker said sarcastically.

"You're actually probably right." Rin extended his hand out to The Playmaker. They shook hands, and Rin exited the park. He gave one final look back to him.

"Will I see you again?" He asked.

"I'm everywhere Rin. All you have to do is look." The Playmaker smiled at Rin, who smiled back to him. He snapped his fingers, and in the same blinding white flash that started this whole thing, The Playmaker vanished.

THE END

As promised, here is a look into the next anime that may get a visit from The Playmaker. Currently undecided if I'm actually going to write it, or just abandoned the idea. If you'd like to see The Playmaker evolve into a series please leave a review below, and if you want, and anime you'd like to see get hit on The Playmaker's list. Thanks for reading! :)

The top of her class, a star athlete, an angelic beauty, she had it all. Everything always went well for her, well mostly everything. She did have one flaw in her perfect life, and with nobody else to turn too, she ultimately turns to her brother for help. With a sibling bond reunited after years of them never speaking, or even glancing at each other, the two start to spend more time together. Mainly to talk about her flaw, and mainly because she wants to annoy him. Everything was going fine, until one night, they broke out into a huge argument, where some things were said, that she's going to wish she never said…

Next time (maybe) :

There's no way my little sister's wish could come true


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